10 Days to Make You Mine
by Mourir
Summary: KaiRei Rei loves Kai. Simple? Well, no. Kai doesn't exactly feel the same way, probably never will. He's not gay, he says. Enter Tala, lovesick Romeo who longs to win Rei back. But Rei's determined to accomplish his goals. He must, or he'll fall apart.
1. Zero: I

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

**Notes:** Revised.

**Setting:** They're all around 18 years of age and in their final year of high school.

**Warnings:** OOC

xxx

Saint Valentine's Day

xxx

I hate everything. Honestly, I do. I hate this stupid book that I'm reading for school, I hate this stupid rain, I hate this aggravating tug of my hair that this stupid wrap is causing, I hate this stupid blackout, and I hate this stupid fire. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

Sighing, I close my book and stare into the fire, bitterly, its warmth not making any difference to my depressed mood. It seems that everything is just making me feel worse. My small apartment seems to close in on me, as if taunting me, chanting that I have failed, that I had let him go without the smallest hint of a fight. But that wasn't true, I _did_ fight for him, if only a little, but the opposing powers were just too overwhelming and powerful for one such as me. I'm too weak; I never did deserve him.

The pounding raindrops cast a drowsy spell about the suffocating room, and the dreary glow of the flames enlarges and disfigures the shadows, darkening the room more than lighting it. The incredibly relaxed but borderline smothering atmosphere allows me to think . . . something that I have come to fear. Thinking is dangerous.

It was raining that day as well, and I remember how happy I was back then. I used to like the rain, I used to like the calming rhythm and soothing aura it radiated. Now I'm just a shadow of myself, an empty void of my past, sickeningly perfect appearance. But in reality, I'm just the same as I've always been - isolated, and alone.

A flash of lightning illuminates the confines of my room for a brief second.

It's amazing how much can change in only a short amount of time. I glance to the small pile of chocolates and cards that I have received. I got a little something from each of the members from the Bladebreakers and White Tigers. Well . . . almost all of them, I have yet to receive Kai's. I guess I shouldn't think too much into it, he's never been one to celebrate such meaningless holidays as this one. Even I think it's pointless. I see all those smiles, all those lovers smiling and I know that they will no longer be together. I see and I know that it's pointless. A waste.

The room suddenly fills with the booming sound of thunder and the flame faltered a bit, as if frightened.

I nuzzle into the soft plush of the lazy-boy recliner, nothing but my thoughts to comfort me. Ironic, as my thoughts are also the ones to have destroyed me.

The fire's heat bites at my skin while the rain and thunder creates a pulsing headache.

I remember when this all started. I remember and I wish I didn't.

xxx

Tuesday, February 3 

xxx

"Rei? Rei, are you listening to me?"

The sleepy beat of the rain filled the small poetry club, which was currently filled with many students as it was after school. A few brave and confident writers would occasionally step up to the stage and read their poems aloud. And depending on the quality, the audience would clap either mechanically or enthusiastically – there was a noticeable difference.

Exhausted, I lifted my head to meet the concerned cerulean eyes of the blond who was sitting across from me, one of my best friends. We always came here after school just to talk about our day, and I suppose I drifted off one too many times. "Sorry, Max, I'm just a little tired."

Those same eyes took in the droopy features of my once smooth complexion. He held up a hand and gently brushed aside my bangs to inspect my appearance better. "Rei, are you okay? Have you been getting any sleep at all?"

The overpowering heat that the fire radiated slowly lulled me to sleep and the distant sounds of a guitar playing eased my nerves. I placed my head on the table once again, falling into a light snooze. A few seconds later, just as I was about to shut my mind from the world, an annoying poke came into contact with my head. Once, twice. Again and again.

"Want something?" I asked bitterly, not opening my eyes or lifting my head.

The poking ceased and a soft hand found its way to my cheek, lifting my face so I was now looking at him in the face. "Rei, how much sleep have you gotten within the past couple of days? You look like shit."

"Thanks." I placed my hand over his and mentally calculated the hours that I have actually slept, only to find I haven't had a good nights rest in a while. That was strange, I thought I had at least a few good hours. "Almost none.''

"Doing . . . what, exactly?" Max asked as innocently as he could, though I knew it was all an act. He was concerned about my newfound sleeping issues, but was covering them up with an air of perverted-ness. It was how we covered up our insecurities.

There was only one thing that could keep me from a good night's sleep. It was a thing so evil; many people all around the world despise it and would like to burn it down. It was believed to be constructed by Satan himself. "School," I replied simply.

The other boy nodded in understanding and placed a sympathetic kiss on my lips. Mind you, we were only friends with benefits. "I advise that you get some sleep, Rei, it won't help your performance if you're tired."

Letting go of his hand, I smirked at him suggestively, finding some energy to at least flirt. Routine was easy. "Performance in what, my dear Maxie?"

The American playfully rolled his eyes while muttering 'hentai', a grin on his face. We were used to hitting on each other, so we didn't take it seriously. We never went past kissing, but even so, we always managed to attract strange looks; this one guy even asked to join us. That was a truly disturbing moment and it had scarred me for the rest of my already-scarred life.

The sound of a bell echoed throughout the room, alerting the employees that a customer arrived. Glancing over to the newcomer, I saw scarlet staring back and immediately recognized the person as Kai. I tried to pretend as if I didn't see him, but unfortunately, the Russian made his way towards our table.

"Hey Kai," Max said cheerfully as Kai sat down next to me. I tried to hold down my raging hormones.

Kai nodded his greeting to the both of us, a friendly smirk instead of a smile. He waved away an approaching waitress, and returned his attentions to Max and me. ''So, how are you guys doing?''

"Just fine," the blond responded, sipping at his soda.

I casually swirled my cup, causing the hot liquid inside to swish around. "I've been better . . ."

"Something the matter?"

My head rested on my palm as I gazed out the large window next to me. I set my cup down, finding it to be a burden. The drumming of the rainfall combined with the warmth of the club and calming presence of Kai caused me to nod off again. But as the seconds passed, I was once again denied of my sleep when the prodding finger returned.

The poking ceased when I raised my head. "What were we talking about?"

"Rei . . ." Kai said slowly, most likely confused at my sluggish behavior. It was not like me to be so out of it, especially on a school day. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, attempting to assure Kai that I was okay, but the action only succeeded in making me even drowsier. With a small 'thump', my head hit the wooden table and I fell into a much needed slumber. But before the realm of dreams completely overtook me, I felt warm skin come into contact with my own, and I was vaguely aware that I was being lifted by strong arms.

xxx


	2. Zero: II

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

**Notes:** Revised.

xxx

Tuesday, February 3 

xxx

_Everything was angular; no curves at all. I was standing in the middle of my school courtyard, alone. All colours were inversed, white was black and black was white. I stared at my hands, they were of a dark teal shade. A small stream of bright aquamarine spilled from my wrist, falling to the purplish grass. Blood. I averted my gaze to the ground, expecting to see small pools of neon blue. Instead, the drops of blood __were floating in __mid-air, forming letters of some sort. _

_I waited patiently for the shapes to form completely, which seemed to take a__ large portion of eternity_

_I could feel my arm starting to go limp, turning a darker shade of teal from the blood loss. My bizarre world started to spin, all the pigments swirling with each other, blending until it was __all __a pure black, the blood and myself__ were__ the only colours existing. _

_My blood was still draining, and I was becoming weaker. Soon, I fell to the pitch black ground on all fours, lightheaded __and dizzy__. I stared at my hands; the colour was __draining __from my body and pooling around me. I was now a being of black and white. _

_I looked back to the suspended blood. It was nearly complete, but the edges were blurred, making it difficult to__ make out_

_I touched the pool of colour__ that formed a sort of aura around me__, imagining it to be of a smooth, liquid-like texture. But as soon as I pressed my fingers against the surface, it cracked and shattered, as if it were glass. The cracked colours stood in sharp contrast against the pure black. _

_I looked up at the words again. It seemed that they too have turned to glass, making their edges sharper. I stared at the word . . . it just didn't make any sense! This whole realm didn't make sense! It just . . . _

_The shards of colour started to move around, like leaves in a whirlwind. They started to expand, and moved in closer to me. Their edges gleamed in hidden sunlight, almost blinding me. Soon, the jagged ends scratched at my skin, causing more blood to leak out. Then out of nowhere, a soft, familiar voice filled the seemingly endless void, whispering. _

_"Lost. Lost. Lost." _

_Over and over again. The voice added to the already chaotic atmosphere/ _

_Then, the still-flying shards exploded, causing the black void to fill with a deafening sound. The blood words were still there. I quietly whispered the word (though it was more of a name, really) like it would be able to take away all this pain. _

_"K__ai . . .__" _

_As if it heard me and was responding to the call, the voice__ said something different.__. The soft melody that was the voice followed me to reality, enveloping around my form. _

_"__Save me . . .__" _

xxx

My body was shaken as I landed back from the strange dream. I shot up, looking around my surroundings. It took a while before everything came to focus, but when it did, I noticed a familiar blue-haired male sitting at the edge of my bed, silently reading a book.

"K-Kai?" I stuttered, my voice raspy with sleep. The blood form of his name was still etched in my mind, causing me to slightly panic.

He looked up from the book. I could now his beautiful crimson eyes, the ones that could pierce through one's soul. He looked deeply concerned, but I could see no more of it as he turned back to his book. "Go back to sleep, Rei."

Still in a dazed state, I was about to go to sleep . . . until I caught sight of the time. My heart beat faster as I started to awaken more, remembering all that I still had to do before the next day. "I-. . . It's ten o'clock? Already?"

The Russian looked to the blood red numbers on my digital alarm clock, ignoring my outburst. "It would seem so. Now go back to sleep, Max told me that you haven't slept for days."

I started to panic, mentally listing everything that I had to finish. I was dedicated to my education, and a little sleeping problem wasn't going to tarnish my record. ''But Kai! I have to finish my 10 page English assignment! And I have to work on my History project which is due Friday! And I have to-''

"Go back to sleep. It wouldn't hurt if you missed one day of school, your health is more important," He commanded, once again taking responsibility for his old teammates.

"Eh! You mean skip! But that would ruin my perfect attendance record! And I would miss all my lessons and-"

"Shut up and go to sleep before I make you."

Reluctantly, I leaned back into the covers, mind whirling with sleep-induced hysteria. But I knew that when Kai set his mind to something, he would make sure it was done. But I didn't go to sleep; I needed to finish all my assignments! However, Kai would probably never let me, and would probably chain me to the bed or drug me so that I could have some sleep if he had to. Though I suppose this is for my own good, in a weird and twisted sense.

Sighing, I snuggled deeper into the warm bed, gazing at the beautiful ex-captian. He looked so peaceful reading that book, a pair of rectangular reading glasses sitting on the edge of his nose, those ruby eyes glinted with a sort of amusement.

I blinked, having not noticed them before. ''Kai, I didn't know you wore glasses,'' I commented, marveling at how magnificent he looked with them. It gave him an aura of intelligence (not that he wasn't already) and somehow made him look even sexier (for lack of better word to describe his radiating beauty).

''And you're supposed to be sleeping,'' he responded, his eyes trained on the current page. Damn, it must have been one hell of an interesting book.

''I told you, I need to-''

The other boy sighed, folding in the page that he was on then closing it. He placed his glasses and book on a nearby drawer. ''Rei, I will not tell you again to sleep.''

I said no more, respecting his wishes.

Kai turned off all the lights, and then slipped into my bed, surprising me. ''I hope you don't mind me sleeping over tonight.''

I scoot over to give him more room. This would be just like old times, back in the Beyblading days. Except, well, without the Beyblades and constant paranoia that our bitbeasts were going to be stolen. ''Of course I don't mind.''

I felt sleep instantly take over me, something I haven't felt in a while. It was strange, how I felt so secure and relaxed around Kai, instead of intimidated and frightened like some people are around him. There was something in his aura that makes you feel protected, and there was something in his eyes that showed he did care. Of course, you had to be on his good side, otherwise, you were screwed.

We lied there in complete silence, him looking up at the ceiling and me at him. Yes, it was just like old times.

''Kai?'' I whispered, afraid to break the content atmosphere.

''Hm?''

''Thank you for looking out for me . . .'' Even though he was breaking my perfect attendance, it was nice to know that he cared.

''I've always got your back, Kon."

xxx

It hadn't been long when I woke up again. It was just before midnight. I opened a weary eye and a sleeping boy was the first thing I saw. His face was slightly illuminated by the moon's weak glow, and his skin seemed to radiate from the soft light. I smiled; he looked so innocent and vulnerable without his usual indifferent expression. I thought back to all the rare times that I had seen this boy with a genuine smile, and it made my heart skip a beat.

But then I frowned. This boy- who I had come to love- was far from reach. Yet he was right here, sleeping peacefully, within arm's grasp. I could never have such an angel like him, or at least not in that sense. I didn't really think I deserve him either.

It was painful, to know that my deepest desires were to never be fulfilled.

Then again, I'd always been told that I had a very determined spirit. Maybe it'd come in use. Maybe I could catch this beautiful phoenix. It was worth a shot. It wouldn't hurt if I tried. If I succeed, my wish comes true, and I would finally be happy. If I fail, all I experience was heartbreak, something I learned to cope with over the past years.

I crept closer to the Russian, craving his warmth.

It was almost Valentine's Day, and I always dreaded it, knowing that I wouldn't be sharing it with anyone. But this year . . . this year I might not be alone.

My eyes started to shut, feeling fatigue wash over me.

I would think about this tomorrow . . .

xxx


	3. One: I

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

**Notes:** Revised.

xxx

Wednesday, February 4

xxx

I woke up, alone.

Judging from the colour of the sky, it was early morning. Even with my lack of rest I still couldn't sleep past 7 at the latest. I had always woken up early, so I suppose my body had gotten used to it. It was like having a built in alarm clock.

I sluggishly rolled out of bed, landing gracelessly and painfully on the floor (yeah, I meant to do that, I didn't feel like standing at the moment). I lied there for a while, wondering why the hell my carpet was so rough. It felt like needles were poking me in the face (which, I assured, was not a pleasant feeling in the slightest).

The door opened, but I hardly paid any attention to it, being so deep in my carpet contemplation. It was a rather puzzling topic. Really, the beige carpet had always felt so nice under my feet and-

"Rei?" a monotonous voice lined with concern called out, and I recognized it immediately.

Tiredly, I raised my hand so the phoenix could see where I was without me having to say anything. I felt dead. I desperately wanted to sleep some more, but my body wouldn't let me!

I could feel the floor vibrating from his footsteps. Lifting my head, I saw him crouch down in front of me, looking confused. Aww, he looked so cute! And . . . GOD KAI, keep your legs shut! It was not doing **anything** to help my self-control or make these perverted thoughts disappear! Okay, maybe the perverted thoughts could stay . . .

"Uh, Rei?" the enchanting Russian asked, tilting his head in curiosity. "What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

My eye suddenly twitched, and I felt an uncharacteristic anger flowing through my body, giving me the energy to speak. It was probably just morning impatient-ness. "I'm checking the carpet's softness to see if it is suitable for the great Kai Hiwatari. What does it **look** like I'm doing?"

"Well, you aren't planning to lie there all day, are you? And why are you awake, you should be sleeping," he reprimanded, lifting me in his arms. Wow, he didn't even glare at me for being sarca-

Wait. What the hell. Was I in Kai's arms? Still conscious?

Nothing compared to the feeling of being held by **KAI**. It was a phenomenon in itself. The feeling this held could not be expressed by mere words alone! An immortal being such as I did not deserve to be held by this magnificent seraph. Every moment in my life had led up to this moment! Oh! I could break out into one of those cheesy love songs like in those melodramatic Disney movies! But I wouldn't because that would just be odd. Strange. And I was sure it would disturb Kai.

I mean, what would you do if someone just randomly started singing about how much they loved you?

I was shaken out of my thoughts as I was gently placed on the bed (cue extremely perverted thoughts), and I was greeted with the sight of Kai's face millimeters away from mine as he pulled the covers over me. "You need to sleep, Rei. If this keeps up, you'll get sick."

"Okay, lo-" I immediately paused, catching myself in the middle of the word 'love (the nickname I would never get to call anyone)', and quickly thought of a word to replace such an . . . uncomfortable title. "-mother."

Yeah, I called him my mom even though Kai didn't have a womb for me to have been born out of. I was aware that at times, that when friends nagged, they were teased and called a 'mother', but I didn't think Kai was the type to take jokes (or at least the childish ones, anyway. Believe it or not, he had a sense of humor, which made him even more perfect).

Kai lifted an eyebrow, as if to say 'What the hell are you talking about?' Though, he didn't do as such. This being a good thing because I don't think he would want to know what I was talking about.

He probably wouldn't want to know what I was thinking about either.

"Anyways," I continued in a vain attempt to change the subject. "I won't be able to sleep."

Kai crossed his arms in an aggravated way. "And why not?"

"Because I'm not tired!"

"Can't you _get_ tired?"

I laughed, knowing that he was just playing around. "No can do. But you _can_ make me some breakfast."

The other sighed, before shuffling out the room, probably going to make me breakfast. Ah, I loved it when things went my way!

Wrapping my black and down blanket around my body, I slipped out of bed and dragged myself to the living room. Passing the kitchen, I settled myself in my favorite black recliner, closing my eyes in an attempt to fall back to sleep.

But then the doorbell rang.

And seeing as Kai wascooking, it was up to me to relieve my visitor of waiting and answer the annoyingly obstructive block of wood! Hmm, I guess it was _supposed_ to be obstructive; otherwise anyone could walk into my apartment and rob me or rape me.

Uh . . . What was I supposed to be doing? All this lack of sleep must have gotten to me.

And this constant ringing sound wasn't helping me very much.

"Rei! Could you get the door!"

. . . Oh yeah . . .

Leaving my warm recliner, I got up rather sluggishly and once again, dragged myself over to the door.

This had better be important.

As soon as I opened the rectangular block of wood that could easily be burned down and chopped into pieces, I was tackled by some unknown body and landed rather painfully on the ground. It was a good thing this . . . person on top of me wasn't heavy.

"Why hell there, angel. Care to help me warm my bed?" whispered the nameless mass of flesh, trailing a finger down my chest, "I thought you had been kidnapped or something, that someone had finally been driven insane by your beauty!"

I instantly recognized the voice as my dear friend Tala, who lived in the apartment room across from mine. We'd been friends for quite some time, right after we retired from the whole Beyblading ordeal.

But even if he was one of my best friends, I didn't enjoy lying on the floor in front of the doorway!

"Tala!" I whined, always playful when he was around. Those crystal blue eyes looked at me curiously, then quickly looked away as I pouted.

"No! I will not give in intil I get a ki-" he started, but was interrupted as he was suddenly lifted to his feet. "What the-! Hey! I was about to get my kiss, asshole! Couldn't you have waited until I _after_?"

"No," replied Kai in his deep, hypnotic voice that made me melt every time I hea- "Pancakes are finished."

Immediately, both Tala and I sprinted to the dining table, where several small stacks of pancakes lay and a few bottles of syrup.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much . . . food.

Taking a seat, we both waited politely for Kai to join us. I thanked him for such a great meal, and he just smiled, saying that I was too skinny or light or something. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to what he was God, he _smiled_ at me!

I could have just **die****d**(not meaning to sound like a crazed, love-stuck fan girl).

"So, Kai, Rei," Tala said off-handedly, cutting a triangle into his small pile of pancakes. "Why aren't you two at school?"

"Oh, we're skipping. Kai said I didn't get enough sleep," I answered, assuming Kai wasn't going to say anything anytime soon. He was just eating, occasionally taking a sip of his apple juice. First, he would cut a section in his 3-pancake high stack (which he had spread butter on and smothered it with syrup), then he would stab his fork into the cut piece and eat the slices individually. Afterwards, he would lick his lips for any trace of syrup. I just kind of stared at him while he ate. I wondered what else he could do with that tongue . . .

Did I sound like a stalker? Maybe I should stop; it was kind of freaking me out. But then again, I get to make Kai eating sound more erotic than it actually is (and have lovely mental images concerning syrup), and who wouldn't want that?

"_You're_ skipping! You, Rei Kon, are skipping?" Tala blinked once, shock evident in his eyes. Then, quickly getting over his shock, he mockingly wiped away a fake tear. "I never thought I'd live to see the day! You're growing up so fast, love."

I took a sip of my juice, rolling my eyes at his actions. "Shut it, Ivanov."

"Hey, can I skip with you guys? I have a test today, and…I kind of didn't study for it…"

Tala and I turned our best pout face towards Kai, who looked surprised at the sudden force of the combined cuteness of both Tala and myself (which was rather irresistibly adorable, I mean, I was me stunningly gorgeous, and Tala was one of the most beautiful people I'd ever met).

And when Kai seemed to be immune to the pout look (I thought that was impossible! But Kai was fantastic and was able to do amazing feats, so I guessed it should have been expected), we were forced to resort to our secret weapon. This was a weapon so powerful, that no even the mightiest of warriors coukld defy it!

Fake tears.

Suddenly, our eyes shone brightly with unshed tears, and our bottom lips quivered – a warning that a huge sob fest was on its way. We threw in some sniffling noises to grind Kai's guilt, though we were mentally smirking as we saw Kai's resolve withering.

And after a few tears spilt, he finally cracked, letting out an annoyed grunt and a barely audible "fine" before averting his gaze to his pancakes. "But we're going back to school tomorrow. Except for you, Rei. You're going back Monday."

The red-headed Russian and I flashed each other two thumbs up before happily going back to our breakfast, not crestfallen by Kai's news. We had a whole day with just the three of us, with no monstrous teachers breathing down our necks.

I got to spend the whole day with my **hot** best friend and **Kai**! ALONE!

Someone loved me up there.

xxx


	4. One: II

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

**Notes:** Revised.

xxx

Wednesday, February 4

xxx

"Kai, are you gay?" said Tala, who had been asking the same thing over and over again ever since after breakfast.

We were lounging in the living room, having absolutely _nothing_ else to do. Board games were . . . well, boring. I didn't have time to play video games so I had no gaming system. I had a computer, but I didn't want to waste memory on meaningless games that I would never play again after the first time. And of course, there was nothing to watch on the television.

Lady Luck has blessed us today.

To have something to do, we were watching a marathon about a yellow, talking sponge. I think it was supposed to be funny, but I couldn't really see any humor in it. So far, there was no logic or rationality in this show, and I was trying to find the plot that linked all these episodes together. So far, I came up with a blank.

"No," Kai replied, a hint of annoyance behind his otherwise monotonous tone. It was understandable, though, it was about the millionth time he answered the question.

The room fell into silence again, the television being the only thing creating any type of noise. We watched as the yellow sponge laughed in a goofy way, though we couldn't see what had made it laugh to begin with. I didn't think we were even watching the show, just looking at it.

"Kai, are you sure you're not gay?"

"Yes, Tala, I'm sure."

"But you're always wearing a tight shirt, and I've never seen you looking at a girl." Tala turned to look at Kai who sat on the couch opposite him, looking as bored as he sounded.

"I've never looked at a guy, either," Kai reasoned. He, too, averted his gaze from the TV screen to the boy across the room, crimson eyes warning him to shut up.

I switched my attention to the hollow argument – for more than one reason. The main reason was that watching them bicker was way better than watching a talking sponge. The other was that Kai looked really hot when aggravated. His eyes narrow in a dangerous glare, and his muscles tense as if restraining himself from slaughtering the person annoying him.

Okay, scratch 'really hot' and replace with _sexy_. But hey, when is he not?

"No, that's got to be a lie! You **must** have looked at me at some point! Aren't I attractive enough for the Hiwatari eye?" the redhead pouted, standing to sit right next to Kai, pressing his body slightly against the shorter boy. "C'mon . . . admit it . . ."

I had the sudden desire to throw Tala off the couch and take his place. Then perhaps snog Kai right then and there.

Kai was **MINE**!

In my head, anyway . . .

But I didn't blame Tala for flirting, Kai was perfection. It was hard not to throw yourself at him, let alone resist touching him.

"Or how about Rei? He's pretty hot," the redhead said casually, "And he's got one nice ass - I should know."

I blushed . . . brightly. I didn't really know I had a nice ass! Sure, Max would comment on it every now and then, but I thought he was just playing around. He always was, right? Okay, so there would be the random stranger who would stare at it from time to time or smack it, but I never really cared about random strangers (I would if they were as hot as Kai, but that was just not possible - Kai was the pinnacle of hotness).

Tala blinked slowly, as if realizing something, before quickly running to my side. "Why am I hitting on the hot _straight_ guy when I have a hot _gay_ one right here!" He sat on my chair's armrest, leaning over to wrap his arms around me.

"Rei . . . " he whispered, attempting to sound seductive. He reached in to my blanket (which I had wrapped around myself after breakfast), his hand running down my back. It looked as if he was touching something inappropriate, but he stopped just above the hem of my pants, respecting his boundaries. He may have been able to touch me before, but he certainly couldn't do it now.

Tala has definitely changed. When we first became friends, he was reclusive and not very talkative, like Kai except even more angry and bitter at the world. But as we started hanging out more, he became more open and friendly. And then a year after our last Beyblade World Tournament – somewhere around our first year of high school - we went out for a good two years, before we broke up because of some . . . difficulties. It has now been a year after that and we managed to put the past behind us and become nothing short of best friends. Brothers, even.

"I'm bored!"

Looked like the seduction act was over.

"Well, Tala-kun, find something to do," I replied, pulling the blanket closer around me.

Suddenly, I could feel those sapphire eyes stare right at me, the intensity almost burning into my skin. I experienced this look before, and what usually happened afterwards wasn't suitable for anyone under the age of seventeen. He was a rough one. Quite kinky as well.

"Don't look at me like that!" I tried to edge away from him, attempting to glare. But my glares have never worked on him. He became used to them, I supposed.

He pressed me closer to him, if that was even possible. I could feel his heartbeat thump lightly against me and his breath on my skin. It was a feathery touch, barely even there. This feeling wasn't unknown; I have memorized his heartbeat and the different rates he breathed, but that part of my life was over a long time ago. It was surprising that the memory had not been erased.

Despite my attraction to someone else, I was not going to push him away. The red head knew what he could and could not do. He knew what – more accurately who – I wanted. I told him in the last, precious moments of our third year in high school, just after we broke up. He was disheartened, yes, for I knew that he still held an attraction towards me (if it wasn't obvious by now), but he accepted it just the same.

Suddenly, there was a loud 'ahem', and Tala and I turned our attention to Kai, who looked rather miffed.

"If you two are going to fuck, I ask that you take it elsewhere. I would like to keep my sanity, thank you very much," his face scrunched in disgust, as if thinking about what should happen had he not stopped us. "I respect that you two are gay, but please, do not infect my brain."

"What brain?" Tala muttered, rolling his eyes before detaching himself from me. He glanced towards the clock in the room, mentally calculating the time before school ended that day. Then he frowned. "It's only ten o'clock."

I groaned at the amount of time there was left, it being too long for my satisfaction. "It's so boring! Kai, how come we can't go out?"

"Because it's a school day, and it'd be obvious that we were skipping if we wander around in public before school actually ended," Kai answered, sighing as he leaned back against the couch.

It became silent again; the one where everyone slipped into his or her own thoughts and disregarded what was around them. This silence was wanted and needed, to say the least. It would do to pass the time doing something occupying without boring us all to death.

"So . . . Kai . . . " Tala said randomly, tripping any thoughts that had been running through the vast spaces of our minds.

Crimson eyes averted their gaze from the opposite wall to the redhead. "Yes?"

"Are you gay?"

Kai threw a conveniently placed cushion at the other, effectively hitting his target in the face.

xxx

Those long five hours had passed dreadfully slow. It was as if time itself was mocking us, using our dependence on it to its advantage.

During that time, we did various things. We spent a good portion of our time watching pointless television, and another majority of it talking about random things. Once, we even played Twister due to a certain pervert's insistence. But that ended in disaster, leaving one pissed off Russian and another thrilled one.

The point was, it was finally after school hours and we could go out and actually do something. There was just one slight problem . . .

"The amusement park is so stupid. And besides, it's February and it's too cold!"

We couldn't decide where to go.

"Oh please, we came from Russia – the coldest place on Earth! I'm sure you can handle a mere 50 degrees."

"The amusement park probably isn't even open until the end of May, idiot."

"Well it's better than going to the poetry café. Those people seriously suck!"

"No, they don't! You just can't appreciate a well-written poem."

"Yes I can! There's just a fine line between the good poems and the bad ones!"

"A poem is written with a person's soul, so there is no such thing as a bad poem!"

Kai and Tala were bickering again, no surprise there. This time I wasn't really listening to their fabulous little conversation, thrilling as it was. Instead, I scraped at my mind for a fun but reasonable place to go. But so far, I came up with nothing. It wasn't like I could think, though, what with the not-so-subtle increase of the Russian's voices as each remark was thrown.

"Yes there is!"

"No, there isn't! It's all a mere matter of opinion!"

"Well . . .there's . . ."

And there was a period of silence as Tala tried to come up with a good retort, and I was actually able to get a thought in. But before I could elaborate, they started up again, and I had no opening to speak.

"Can't think of anything, can you?"

"There's: 'Kai is bi

Rei is gay

Tala is the best . . . a.'"

"Okay now _that_sucked."

"Hah! See! **_There is a difference_**! And you don't know what you're talking about. That was a great poem! A masterpiece! I should get it published!"

"That wasn't even a po-"

Mimicking what Kai had done earlier, I hit the two Russian with a rather lumpy cushion. They were standing behind my chair, so it was fairly easy to reach them. But I don't think they were thankful for that fact as much as I was. I suppose they didn't like getting hit, but it wasn't like they could do anything about it. I was too attractive to beat up!

The two idiots glared at me, but I brushed it off, having seen it many times before. Those 'death glares' got old after years of being around them.

"Okay, I got an idea!" I said proudly, leaning over the back of the lazy boy chair to face them properly. "We're going to the arcade! No complaining or objections! Now you guys wait here while I get changed!"

Before they could reply, I dashed off to my room. I always did have a sort of power, ever since I matured and progressed through the final stages of _puberty_ (I always thought that was a funny sounding word, so I was laughing insanely. Kai and Tala probably thought I'd gone mad now, but I didn't care! Puberty! HA!).

I slammed the door behind me, locking it just in case someone wanted to steal a peak. Pulling off my current outfit then throwing them in my specially assigned 'clothes corner', I picked out some of my more favored casual clothing. Not jeans, though. I didn't like jeans.

Checking in the mirror to see if my appearance was acceptable (which, of course, it was), I strutted out my room. I didn't strut, though. So I walked . . . with confidence!

I grabbed my keys and wallet off the hallway table, stuffing them carelessly into my cargo pockets.

"You look nice, Rei," Tala complimented, being the gentleman he occasionally was.

"Of course I do, I always look good!" I replied.

Kai rolled his eyes, scoffing at my inflated ego. Okay, so I was a little full of myself, but one could not deny the truth!

"So, onwards! To the arcade!"

xxx

There was a rather popular arcade in the mall, and it was filled with games –from the classic oldies to the latest modern ones. I haven't been here much, being the model student that I am. I usually stayed at home and studied.

Upon opening the doors to the cramped room, we were nearly blown away by the loud, pulsating music and endless chatter and game music. The coloured lights did little to light the medium-sized room properly, but it did give a night club sort of feel.

I grabbed Tala's and Kai's hands so that we would not be separated. I led them around the room, frowning as I saw that some of my favorite games were already taken. But there, in the very back of the room, was an air hockey table. It was less crowded there, so we took shelter, edging towards the table so that other people would think it occupied.

"Man, it's so crowded," said Tala, turning his head to look at the crowd. "Why'd you drag us here, love? You know I hate crowded places . . . "

"Oh, chin up!" I exclaimed, still grasping their hands. "It's fun here! We certainly need some of that since a certain _someone_ won't let me do my homework."

"Cause you know," Kai continued my complaint, "it's such a crime to force someone to do something other than excitement-packed schoolwork."

"I'm so glad we see eye to eye on this."

"Ah, me too."

" . . . so can we go back now?"

"No."

I frowned, letting go of their hands to cross my arms stubbornly. I needed to do my homework, damn it! Not to mention that he was making me miss three precious days of school! That was going to be an ass-load of work to make up! And this was so ruining my perfect attendance record. I never missed a single day of high school until now!

My pouting was ignored, though, as Kai challenged Tala to an air-hockey game. They were as used to my stubborn pouts as I was to their glares.

They hit the puck back and forth, though a little more aggressively than most people normally would. But what else would you expect? This was Kai and Tala we were talking about here. Sometimes, they would weave a little flare into their movements, putting on a flamboyant performance. It was entertaining, to say the least, in more ways than one.

As people passed by, they would spare a glance, their gaze wandering over both boys' forms, before going on with their lives. Though, I could see some of them look back every once in a while, eyes betraying their lust filled thoughts. They would then lick their lips, fantasizing of what never could be.

Stupid perverts.

The game went on, quite boringly so as neither Russian would let up. After a good half hour, my attention quickly averted from the game to Kai's lower half as he reached across the table to hit the puck that had oh-so-unfortunately decided to stay right in the middle. Occasionally, the puck would float a little to the left or shift forwards so that it continued to be out of the Kai's reach.

There was seriously aguardian angel or something who really, really loved me.

But before I could drift off into the wonders of sexual fantasies, a foreign hand groped my own ass, and non-too-gently at that. I looked around to see the offender, but there were so many people that it was hard to discern one from the other.

Oh well, I hope my ass was pleasing . . .

"Hey, you come back here and apologize right now!" Tala shouted, momentarily forgetting the game and allowing Kai to score his final goal. He didn't seem to care, as he stomped towards me with an angry expression on his face. "Rei! How could you let him get away with that!"

I shrugged. "I didn't see who it was."

And then it was like I was staring into a cold fire. It was exactly like the time back in the Worlds. There was nothing but hatred and rage, and I found myself stepping back from the sheer ferocity. It had been such a long time since I've seen him this angry and it was something I'd rather not get used to.

"T-Tala?"

He took in a deep breath, closing those eyes. Once they were opened again, he looked relatively calm and his rage was replaced with an emotion I could not identify. But there was an air of sadness . . . The look didn't suit the redhead, and just seeing him so hopeless was heart shattering. And to think that I caused it.

For a while, we said nothing, content to just staring as our surroundings meshed into an empty void.

A minute or so later, Kai came over and glanced curiously between us, looking adorably confused as well. Though he said nothing, which was a wise decision as I was not sure Tala would take too kindly of it.

"I'm sorry." Blue eyes melted into pure sincerity and I could definitely see a sort of surrender swirling in there as well. He turned away from me and faced the wall, his voice soft and barely audible over the loud noise of the arcade. "I . . . forgot."

Though he did not specify exactly what it was he forgot, I immediately understood. Filled with regret, I also turned away.

"It's been a little over a year."

"I know."

"We've discussed this many times before."

"I know."

"And you know that I love-", I paused as a familiar mop of midnight blue hair bobbed in the crowds. A surge of shock and familiarity passed through me as I caught a glimpse of the face I hadn't seen since the last Championships. "Tyson?"

"I kno- Wait . . . you love Tyson!" I heard Tala say, sounding morally outraged – quite a contrast from his former tone. "I thought you loved someone else! You mean you dumped me for _him_!"

"No, you idiot!" I pointed towards the sea of people where I had lost sight of the Japanese. "I meant that he's over there!"

"Rei, that you!" I could see Tyson a couple of yards away, head peaking over the crowd every few seconds. He had that grin on his face, and it was relieving to see that he hadn't changed. He had grown quite handsome, too. I could see why Max lusted after him (but he doesn't know that I know - one shouldn't leave heartfelt poems out in the open!).

"Tyson! Long time no see!" I made my way towards him, weaving through the threads of bodies to get to him faster. Once reaching him, I pulled him down into a hug as he was a little taller than me. "Good to see you again, bud!"

"You too! Hey, was that Kai and Tala I saw back there? I'd never thought I'd see the two of them in an arcade." He held my shoulders at arms length, looking me over. "Did you grow shorter, Rei? You're so tiny!"

"You're not **that** much taller than me!" I said in mock anger, laughing afterwards. I took his hand and led him over to the hockey table. "So how were your trips around the world? Did you actually succeed in teaching anyone anything?"

"Of course I did!" he exclaimed smugly, "And I had a great time! All those kids looked up to me, which I don't blame them for, really."

I laughed, smiling brightly as we reached Kai and Tala, who had their expressionless faces on. It wasn't surprising that they wouldn't want to fall behind in their trademark bastard routine in front of one of their rivals.

"Hey Kai, hey Tala. I see you guys haven't changed much." He gave them each a hug and they didn't look too pleased at first. That was obviously an act, though, because they hugged him back, and I could see a hint of a smile on their lips. It was so sweet that they genuinely missed Tyson.

"So," Tyson returned his attention to me, "You wanna have a go at DDR? I've been practicing and I think I can actually beat you this time!"

"Dream on, Ty. I'm the master of DDR!" I grabbed his hand again and dragged him over to the Dance Dance Revolution platforms. Kai and Tala followed afterwards, both glaring quite intensely at Tyson. Kind of weird since he hadn't done anything stupid since he got here . . . But they've glared at him before he left, so it was only reasonable that they glare at him when he was back too!

"Pst, Rei," Tyson whispered, glancing back at the Russians, "Is Kai gay or something? He's staring at us . . . "

I couldn't help but laugh. Kai would have been absolutely furious had he heard.

Though, I desperately wished that it was true.

xxx

"He still lives above the hobby shop; do you remember where it is?"

"Yeah, thanks Rei. See you later!"

The Japanese waved goodbye to me, leaping down the stairs and out of sight. I waved back and with a sigh, I turned to my apartment door and opened it. Instead of going in, I just stood there, waiting for the other two to leave as well. They did not, however, and I could feel their curious stares on me.

I turned to face them, expecting them to leave at that instant. And when they continued to just stand there, I smirked. "You guys planning to spend the night with me or something? I've never done a threesome, and I don't know if my bed's big enough, but I suppose it'll be lots of fun."

I winked at them both and Tala burst into laughter while Kai sported a cute pink blush. It was so much fun to hit on the straight guys, especially the ones who weren't sure if they were straight or not.

"You guys go on home; I can take care of myself. I promise to go straight to sleep after dinner, scout's honour." I smiled reassuringly, doing the Boy Scout salute thing that I had seen on TV.

Kai looked at me worriedly, hesitantly walking away with nod of farewell. The other Russian hugged me then kissed my cheek before dashing towards his own apartment before I could say goodbye.

Shaking my head, amused, I made my way to the living room and collapsed on the couch that Kai had sat on earlier today.

I could still smell his scent lingering on the fabric and there was a sense of loneliness.

I now knew how Tala felt whenever he looked at me.

xxx


	5. Two

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

**Notes:** Revised.

xxx

Thursday, February 5

xxx

Now, I was normally a nice person. I was usually calm collective, and I could control my emotions such as anger or depression. I tried to be fair to everyone and give second chances. Sure, I tended to have my selfish and egotistical moments, but I made up for it in the end. I was generous, compassionate, and an all around nice guy.

At the moment, however, I felt like ripping someone's balls off with my bare hands and force feed it to him . . . preferably the fucker who was calling me right now at 3 in the fucking morning. But I wasn't bitter. Oh no, I was perfectly _peachy_…

…not.

Since my precious sleep was interrupted and I was already awake, I stood up and stumbled towards the telephone, which was all the way across the room. I answered it, expecting an equally tired voice.

"REI! REI, ARE YOU ALIVE! PLEASE SAY YOU ARE!" shouted a vaguely familiar voice. Maxie, I think . . . if I was hearing correctly (which was a miracle in itself as I'd gone temporarily deaf for the moment).

" . . . hello?"

"THANK GOD! I THOUGHT YOU DIED!"

". . ."

I listened unenthusiastically to the rest of his little tirade about how worried he was. Apparently, Max was concerned that I hadn't shown up for school and thought something terrible had happened to me and he had just woken up from a nightmare where I was mysteriously found dead in an alleyway with blood pooled around me and strange creatures feeding on my dead corpse. Not a very pleasant picture and it sure as hell wasn't comforting to listen to.

I sighed, trying to find some way to comfort him. "Don't worry, I haven't been raped . . . or at least I don't think I have."

"You don't know! But what if you were! How does your ass feel!"

"It . . . feels fine. Now go to sleep, you have school tomorrow. Oh, just so you know, I won't be going for the rest of the week."

"You, Rei Kon, are not going to school . . . for THREE consecutive days! Wow, that's a miracle!" Max shouted, shocked just as Tala had been. "Why! What has caused such an impossible feat!"

I rolled my eyes. It wasn't _that_ surprising, was it? Sure, I was dedicated, but I wasn't some sort of freak! "Doctor Hiwatari's orders."

The words sparked an image of Kai in a doctor's uniform, which then slowly transformed into Kai in a nurse's uniform. Ooh, Kai had nice legs . . .

"Kai? Oh, is it because of your sleeping problem?"

"Yeah," I replied in a daze, still wrapped in my daydream.

"Okay, then. I better let you sleep. Night Rei-chan!"

"G'night, Maxie."

I lazily dropped the phone back into its cradle, not really caring whether it was in properly or not. I just wanted to sleep, damn it.

Slightly more awake, I returned to the couch I had been sleeping on. It was actually quite comfortable . . . for a couch.

I closed my eyes, willing myself to go back to sleep. I waited for the pull of dreams and lustful grasps of unconsciousness.

After a moment, I still felt awake. I was abandoned even by sleep.

Damn it all.

xxx

For the last few hours, I'd been working on homework. I knew that Kai would be most upset with me, but he wasn't here right now and I'd rather be doing something productive than watch boring early morning daytime television. I was proud to say that I finished my 10 page English assignment on the difference between Shakespearian language and modern slang and I put the finishing touches on my history project.

Now it was around 6:30 a.m. and time for breakfast. Yay, sugar-saturated cereal?

I thought of the delicious breakfast I had yesterday, another reason to love Kai. And I just realized . . . I missed seeing Kai in an apron yesterday. This . . . just . . . sucked . . .

Lucky me for mental images! Though, I'd much rather see the real thing than resort to such exaggerated fantasies. But it was no big deal as I have a pretty large imagination, especially when concerning Kai. He tended to wear less clothing and show more skin in the realms of my mind. Hey, who was complaining? Certainly not me. I couldn't help that I was a hormonal teenager!

Okay, so I had the whole day ahead of me. Kai, Tala, and Maxie were all at school and I couldn't go out. So I was pretty much stuck here by myself, damned to pointless television shows and boredom.

What fun.

Placing my empty bowl in the sink and putting away the cereal box, I wandered mindlessly into the living room, standing in the middle of the room wondering what to do.

From the corner of my eye,I saw a blur of blue and brilliant red. I thought nothing of it for a while . . . until I realized that those colours seemed somewhat misplaced in my pale-coloured apartment. Turning around, I focused my attention towards the doorway. To my surprise, Kai was standing there, arms crossed in their usual position . . . though his posture seemed a little more slack than normal.

"Oh," I slowly recovered from my shock from seeing the Russian, "Hey Kai. Err . . . not to sound rude or anything, but . . . what are you doing in my apartment?"

Kai stood up straighter, as what was expected from him, and nodded towards the door. "You should lock your doors at night. Otherwise someone could come in unexpectedly."

I blinked. Oops. I had a habit of forgetting to lock my door.

"Anyways," he went on, his eyes narrowing slightly, "I just wanted to check on you. And it's a good thing I did. You should be sleeping right now, not standing around like a moron."

I was about to say something, but was interrupted.

"Hey Rei!" came the upbeat voice of Tyson, who came flouncing into my apartment, a huge grin on his face. He tightly wrapped his arms around me, swinging me around to my discomfort. "We get to spend the _whole_ day together! Isn't that awesome!"

Choking . . . choking . . .

"We can have lunch, watch TV, play video games, and go out to the mall," the Japanese continued, unaware of the fact that my oxygen was being cut off. "And maybe we can have another go at DDR! I mean, you literally kicked my ass last time and I want payback! Ooh! And maybe we can go out to town and eat out! I've been having a craving for pizza and-"

"Tyson shut up and let him go," Kai commanded, glaring coldly at Tyson. He turned towards the door, hand resting on the doorknob. "I'm going to school now. You take care of him, Kinomiya, or I'll personally see to it that your face gets rearranged."

Tyson and I just stared as the Russian left the room, the door shutting softly behind him. There was a cold feeling left in the air, and it left the both of us speechless. The obvious yet unexpected act of caring (though it wasn't very warm sounding) from our captain was a rare occurrence, and it always came at the most random of moments.

Wait . . . was Kai being overprotective of me?

**Sweet** . . .

"So, anyways," Tyson said, breaking the silence. He faced me, his shocked expression transforming into the confident grin I was used to seeing. "Watcha' been up to these days?"

xxx

Navy blue eyes stared at me and a mouth hung open. Tyson and I were sprawled on my bed, lying next to each other and on our stomachs. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon watching TV and telling each other random secrets and events that happened in the years he was gone. And apparently, my current affection for Kai was something surprising. He had already known about the basic outline of my relationship with Tala through letters and email, but I didn't think I told him _why_ we broke up. I always thought that my thing for Kai was obvious, or at least Maxie said it was.

"Are you _serious_, Rei?" the Japanese asked, finally letting the information sink in. "You like the _Sourpuss_!"

I rolled over on my back, staring pensively at the ceiling before answering. "It's more . . . love, really. I don't know, I can't explain it." I glanced over to him, noticing his bewildered look. "It's just this huge burst of feeling I have whenever I'm around him or whenever I think about him. And I know that he's really cold sometimes, but he cares, you know? Like earlier this morning . . . I just wish it went deeper . . ."

I felt his hand on my right cheek and he moved my face so I was looking at him. He looked really thoughtful, something I wasn't used too. Tyson just didn't like being too serious about things, I guess. "Just wishing won't get you anywhere, Rei-kun. You have to take action."

Wow . . . Did Tyson actually something wise and worth considering!

He grinned. "Besides, even if he rejects you and never speaks to you again, at least you'll know how he feels, right?"

. . . I knew it was too good to be true. "Thanks, Ty. I'll make note of that."

"No problem, man! I'm here to help!"

I smiled.

After a while, we were silent, consumed in our own thoughts. I wasn't really contemplating about anything in particular, though, just wondering about what could have been if I did this in a certain situation or did that in another. This was something I did often – so much that it became a habit – and during those times I wished I could go back and do it all over again. Then maybe . . . perhaps . . .

"Rei?"

"Yes?"

"That feeling you get . . . it's . . . different, isn't it."

For a moment, I didn't understand what he was talking about or whether he was asking a question. But I could see that the Japanese was staring across the room at a picture on my dresser.

It was of Max, who was standing in the park and laughing at something unseen, a chocolate ice cream cone in his hand and ice cream smeared across his lips.

It was sad to see love drag down so many strong and admirable people . . . forcing them to clutch tightly to hope . . . yet no one seems to mind.

. . . _Why?  
_

"Tyson, why do we love if it only causes pain?" This hope sometimes clung too tightly in return and it was painful. And when I was hopeless, it hurt even more to know that I go through all this and not even go a single step closer to reaching my goal.

Sometimes I was angry at myself for being in love.

"Because, Rei," Tyson crawled off the bed and looked down at me for a brief second before walking towards my room door, "in the end, it should all be worth it. What's a few moments of pain compared to an eternity of happiness?"

He walked out.

I was vaguely aware of the doorbell ringing rapidly mixed in with my thoughts.

xxx

My apartment was transforming into some sort of hangout lobby. Tala and Max had come here immediately after school was over, stating that they were worried about my well-being (and Tala also said he felt sorry that I had to spend the whole day with Tyson). The blonde was currently arguing with Tyson about the best video game in the world and Tala was reading the book Kai had been reading a few days ago. The redhead had taken to lay his head on my lap with the rest of his body sprawled across the couch.

Suddenly, the shouting turned to murmured whispers and I could no longer hear what they were talking about. Tala crawled over to Max and Tyson, the book left forgotten on the floor. I watched as they had some sort of important discussion, the emotions played easily across their faces. They varied from happiness to sorrow to seriousness. Once, I saw anger.

"Rei, hey Rei!" They ended their conversation and Max cheerfully bounced to the space beside me. "Do you want to go with us to the arcade, today?"

I shook my head. I was somewhat tired and another day spent at that place would most certainly cause some sort of headache. "I don't know, Maxie-"

"Aw, please!" The blonde pouted, which tweaked something in my chest. "I didn't get to go with you guys yesterday! I feel so left out! I want to hang out with you guys!"

My own weapon was used against me as Max continued to gaze pleadingly at me. I felt the pain of guilt tear away inside and I couldn't help but give in. How could you say no to such a cute face! Max was definitely the expert at the puppy-dog face. In fact, I picked the habit up from him. However, you could never become immune to his pouts. They were just so damn adorable!

I nodded reluctantly, sighing as I felt my drowsiness press against me with an almost unbearable weight. "Okay, I'll go. But I don't want to stay for long."

"Yay!" Max grinned. Not a smile – a _grin_. There was something at work here, something I obviously wasn't aware of. Whatever he and the others were planning . . . I felt that I'd somehow regret it.

xxx

I was immediately dragged towards the DDR platforms. It was good that there weren't many people here, so it didn't feel quite as stuffy. It actually felt pretty cool, a nice and comfortable temperature.

"I wanna challenge you again, Rei!" Takao puffed his chest in an act of determination and confidence. He stood on top of a platform, motioning to the one next to him. "I bet I'll win this time!"

Not wanting to quench such energy, I also got on the DDR game and inserted the appropriate amount of coins. For some reason, I felt apprehensive, like I shouldn't be doing this. But why should I worry? Not to sound egotistical, but Tyson had never beaten me before. Hell, I beat him yesterday! Surely he couldn't have improved in such a short amount of time.

"I'm serious, Rei. I want to place a bet."

I looked at him curiously. Okay, that confirmed my suspicions! Tyson wasn't stupid enough to take risks unless he was somewhat sure that he would come out as victor. "And what is this bet that you have in mind?"

He smirked. "You'll find out when I win."

I rolled my eyes, choosing not to question this strange act. Might as well play along, right? "Okay, so if I win, you have to follow through with my part of the bet. You can't back out."

Tyson nodded, selecting a dance we've never done before. We waited for it to start with bated breath. The game started and so did we, stepping on the appropriate arrows while also moving with the music. I really did like dancing, it was kind of like a more graceful form of martial arts, and just moving in a mechanical manner just didn't cut it for me.

Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over me (though it was more like it finally caught up to me), and I yawned. For those few seconds, I missed some steps and fell slightly behind in the score. Attempting to keep myself focused, I put all my concentration on the screen. Though once again, I fell victim to lack of sleep. My body moved sluggishly, making me skip a few arrows and press the wrong ones. Before I knew it, the game was over and I had lost pitifully.

"I won! Woohoo!" Tyson hopped off the platform, starting to jump around and celebrate.

I was really tired, so I leaned against the railing of the DDR game. My eyes were constantly closing, and I willed them to stay open. It wasn't like I hadn't pulled all-nighters before, so I was confused as to why this was affecting me so much.

"Hey, Rei, are you okay?" the Japanese asked, worry and guilt evident in his voice. "I think we should do this again when you're more awake, I had an unfair advantage."

I shook my head. "No, Ty, a loss is a loss and a bet is a bet. Now, what is it that you want me to do?"

The nervousness in me multiplied, but was still dominated by sleepiness. I blinked rapidly to somehow stay awake.

Tala cut in. "You'll find out tomorrow, Rei-chan. For now, let's get you back home so you can sleep." The redhead sounded incredibly concerned. He wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me back to my apartment. He was so warm and soft . . .

We walked in silence. I was leaning heavily against Tala, trying to at least stay awake so I wouldn't be an even larger burden to him.

The grips of unconsciousness were clawing at me, daring to rip me out of this reality. I had moments of blanking out, and sometimes my step would falter. People were staring, some stares were long and analyzing while others were short and indifferent. They must think that I was some sort of drunk.

We finally reached my apartment, and I was literally carried to my bed. The soft, familiar plush lulled me into a deep sleep, a fast procession from consciousness to a dull sense of existence.

I dreamt of nothing.

xxx


	6. Three: I

**Disclaimer: **Don't own.

**Notes: **Revised.

xxx

Friday, February 6 

xxx

I was greeted with a lovely image of three faces hovering above my own. Each head looked deliriously excited and mischievous, and after the initial shock, there was some feeling of regret in my waking up. I was beginning to feel that I was playing right into someone's hands or writing my own death sentence. My vision was slightly blurred but I could still make out the features of Tala, Max, and Tyson, all wearing that same grin from yesterday.

"Shall I ask what the hell you're doing in my room or are you going to tell me?"

"Good afternoon, Rei!" Maxie greeted, throwing his arms around me and placing a kiss on my cheek. I smirked when I noticed the jealous expression on both Tala's and Tyson's face. "You're finally awake! We've been waiting for _hours_! You left your door open again - you should really try to get rid of that habit – and we didn't think you'd mind and made ourselves comfortable."

"You're so cute when you're sleeping, Rei-chan!" Tala pinched my cheek, which didn't feel all too great. In fact, it really hurt. Ow. The redhead then grabbed my arm and pulled. "Now get out of bed and get dressed! We don't have much time left!"

"But why!" I whined, pulling my arm back and flopped on the floor like I had done days before. The roughness of the carpet was serving as a sort of wake-up call. "I'm tired and Kai wouldn't be too happy if I was out of bed!"

"Kai's one of the reasons you need to get up!" said Tyson. And being incredibly strong, he was able to lift me up; though in vain as I plopped back down on my bed. "C'mon, Rei! We only have a couple of hours!"

"No!" I wrapped my body around my blanket, clinging and hoping it would deter them from bothering me any further. Why was it that when I didn't want to sleep, I was forced to sleep, and when I wanted to sleep, I was force to wake up!

My life was saturated with bitter irony.

Tala sighed before sitting next to me and stroking my hair.

That felt nice . . .

Against my will, I began to relax, and almost fell asleep again. Until I heard Tala speak again in a soft yet serious tone. "Rei, we know how much you like Kai, and I know that you want to go with him to the school Valentine's Day dance. But if you're going to do that, you have to get Kai to like you, understand? And how are you going to do that if the guy's straight?"

"If he doesn't like me, then he doesn't like me," I responded, sitting up. "Don't force him to do something he doesn't want to do."

I heard Max and Tyson laugh rather menacingly while Tala smirked. "Oh, we didn't force him to do anything. Just . . . had to use some persuasion . . ."

Oh no . . . what had they done to my poor Kai! My poor, precious, perfect Kai . . . if they did anything to cause him any harm . . .

"Don't worry, he's not hurt or anything. Not physically, anyway . . . or at least I don't think so . . ."

Oh yeah, that made me feel so much better, Tala-chan. He probably emotionally scarred him with that video recording he had of us-

"It was just a teensy weensy blackmail, nothing more. It's not like I was threatening to kill him or anything . . . but I was getting to that point since the bastard wouldn't cooperate."

Pff, teensy weensy my ass. Knowing Tala I bet he said something like 'Do it or I'll molest you' or 'I'll graphically edit a picture of you so that you're naked then post it on a porn site' (not that I would really mind if the latter were to happen, but it would absolutely horrify and embarrass Kai and I didn't want that to happen).

"It was just a small secret of his . . . something only me, Bryan, Spencer, and Ian know. It happened years ago at the Abbey, it was _hilarious_. Wish I could tell you, but that would ruin the whole point of the blackmail."

Kai was probably pissed.

"He got a little bit angry, and tried to blackmail me back, but seeing as I'm perfect and have absolutely no faults. . ."

My, my, my . . . getting a little egotistical, my dearie?

"But anyways," Tala crossed the room to the doorway, where several bags were stacked. "We need to get you ready. You can't go out looking like _that_. You look like you haven't taken a bath in days!"

I was about to retort, when I realized that I really haven't taken a bath in days. Ew, I bet I stink. I bet my hair was all matted and tangled and I bet my skin was all grungy and stuff. I'd been so focused on Kai's sudden participation in my life and sleeping that I completely forgot about my hygiene.

Max looked at me suspiciously, sniffing at my hair and sifting through the now greasy locks. "Um, Tal? He _hasn't_ taken a bath in days . . ."

Silence.

Tala had his hand dramatically placed over his heart and his mouth was slightly open in an over exaggerated expression of shock. "Rei . . . I'm so ashamed! You march right into that bathroom, mister, before I spank you!"

Ignoring the remark (I knew that he would happily comply), I made my way towards my drawer for fresh clothes.

"Nope, not for you!" Tyson closed the drawer with his foot, a grin still on his face. "We have your clothes picked out. Did it yesterday after we dropped you off."

Why did I feel like I wasn't going to like the clothes they picked for me? And why did I feel like I was going to want to claw out my companion's eyes once I saw what they bought?

"What did you guys buy?"

"You'll find out after your shower."

"No. Tell me now."

"_I said_ you'll find out after your shower! NOW GO TAKE YOUR SHOWER!"

Sighing, I made my way towards the bathroom, carefully locking the door so there would be no . . . 'accidental bump against the door so that it magically opened by itself'. That happened many times before, all resulting in a furious me and a satisfied Tala.

Turning on the showerhead, I allowed the rhythmic beat of the water lull me to a duller sense of consciousness.

xxx

I stared at the clothes laid out on my bed. Some feeling of horror began dripping into my thoughts, and I couldn't move from the shock. I almost dropped my towel (which would have brought many acts of groping and fantasizing).

"What . . . is that?" I pointed, shaking, to the . . . pieces of clothing. "You can't tell me I'm supposed to wear that!"

Tala picked up what I assumed was the shirt and held it out in front of him, examining the black article. "What do you mean? It's adorable! You'd look great in it!"

"You mean I'd look like those sluts strutting around at school!"

"At least you'd look hot-"

"People would be touching all over me-"

"Correction: the gay guys and straight chicks will be touching all over you-"

"I don't want multiple partners! Just Kai!"

"And this way you'd be seducing him! He's supposedly straight, right? Well you look like a girl and if you dress like one, he'd think he was falling in love with a girl!"

For a moment, I believed his logic, wishful thinking wanting it all to work out. "But what happens when he finds out I'm a guy?"

"Hopefully he'll be too in love with you to notice."

I pouted, glaring at the articles of clothing like they were my enemy. It was a tight, traditional Chinese-styled sleeveless shirt with gold edges and the bottom stopped just above my bellybutton and ridiculously short shorts that were torn in various places. They were sure to show more than a respectable amount of skin, more so than I'd ever exposed before. Scattered across the sheets were various chain accessories and make-up packages, and I was slightly afraid of the pair of scissors and curling iron lying there as well.

"Y-You can't make me wear that! I refuse!" I quickly backed away, hoping to get out and hide myself in the bathroom. But before I could even reach the door, Tyson grabbed my wrist, keeping me in place. "You can't make me wear that!"

"Oh yes we can," Max replied in a singsong voice. "Remember that oh-so-convenient bet from yesterday?

"Can . . . I take it back?"

"Do it and we'll cut your hair." He grabbed the pair of scissors and snipped at the air several times, an evil glint in his eye .

"You wouldn't!"

"I would. "

I couldn't believe that they would cut off my beautiful hair for their own sick pleasure! Okay so maybe they were actually doing this for my own beneift and to make me happy, but this was a lose-lose situation here!

Sacrifice my dignity or lose my hair .

Wear skimpy clothes or take another decade out of my life to grow my hair back.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll wear the damned things. Just keep those evil scissors away from me!

xxx


	7. Three: II

**Disclaimer:** Don't own

**Notes: **Revised

**Warning:** Probably offensive comments and sexual talk

xxx

Friday, February 6 

xx x

The air was thick with excitement, and I could feel the nervousness immediately washing away. It was after school, and the club was filled with teenagers and young adults. There was a section on the floor near the DJ corner where people were packed together dancing, the music beats pulsating through their bodies. The food and drinks bar was placed in the middle of the room, and there were a few people conversing at the scattered tables. The adrenaline began to race through my veins.

I noticed that Tala, Max, and Takao had all left me, but I didn't care at the moment. Although I was a bit tired, I was swept into the hypnotizing beat of the music. I'd always loved dancing and never missed an opportunity. So I immediately gravitated to the dancing blob of people, making myself a part of the wavelength. I concentrated on the rhythm, and the current problems in my life were immediately forgotten. The rush and thrill carried me away from reality.

I was slightly aware of eyes focused solely on me, but I was used to the feeling of being checked out by someone (not to sound conceited, oh of course not!). I couldn't help but think that this gaze was somewhat familiar, though, like I knew whoever it was who was looking at me. A shiver held my attention for a moment. I decided to let it be for the moment.

A good while after, the feeling was still there. Not only was it annoying, but it was getting totally uncomfortable! I looked around for the offender, but found no one staring at me. Everyone was doing their own thing.

Shrugging it off as paranoia, I continued to dance with a random guy . . . a rather INVASIVE random guy . . . I wonder if he knew I was a guy as well.

A slower but still active song began blaring through the speakers, and the guy placed his hand on my waist. We changed our previous grinding to more modern dirty dancing. I didn't mind, really, he was hot. It didn't look like he minded feeling up a hot man-chick either (of course, he didn't _know_ that I was a man-chick).

"So, what's your name?" His slightly long chestnut brown hair swayed as his matching brown eyes looked me up and down. He looked strangely pleased. Pervert.

"Rei," I replied in a higher pitch. "And yours?"

"Vincent."

"Ooh, sophisticated." I tried to make my voice sound as seductive as possible. It wasn't like I wanted him to bed me or anything, I just found this entertaining. I mean, how often do you get to do this with a straight guy?

"You from around here?" He flipped me around so that my back was pressed to him. His hand was now resting on my stomach and I could feel his warm breath on my neck.

"No, I'm from China."

His hand ventured just a little higher, fingers slipping under my tight shirt. I stiffened a little at his cold touch. " China? Can you speak Chinese?"

"That I can."

. . . If this guy put his hand up any higher, he was going to be groping my fake sock-breasts. I forgot how perverted straight guys were. Geez, it reminded me how sorry I felt for girls.

He licked lightly at the lobe of my ear and rested his head on my shoulder. "Oh, really? Well, how do you say 'me', 'you', 'apartment', and 'now'?"

I grinned, trying desperately to hold in my laughter. That would be my cue to leave. I pulled out of his grip and said in my normal voice, "'Loser', 'can't', 'get', and 'laid'. I'll see ya."

With a final wink, I pushed through the dancing people to find another dancing partner, perfectly aware of the fuming hetero I left behind.

xx x

I got molested by numerous guys and girls and offered a number of drinks. I hadn't seen any sign of Takao, Max, or Tala ever since we got here, and I still had that damn feeling that someone was watching me with dirty thoughts.

But really, other than that I'd been having a fabulous time, getting pushed and pulled from dance partner to partner. It was also quite amusing turning down all those people (ranging from straight guys to gay guys who could tell I was male).

"Hey, wanna dance?"

I turned around to face a young woman just a few years older than me. I blinked, noticing the lusty look in her eyes.

She was pretty, I had to admit, but not gorgeous. Her features were pretty common – dirty blond hair with platinum streaks and large eyes with some variation of the colour aquamarine – and her figure was nothing spectacular. Though, I was pretty relieved that she wasn't thrusting her breasts in my face or shaking her hips.

"You looked pretty lonely here, all by yourself," she said in a sugary sweet voice, edging closer to me in an almost innocent manner. "I noticed that you were rejecting a lot of the guys so I assumed you were lesbian. I'm right, am I not?"

I started blinking my pretty baby blue eye shadow-coated and midnight black mascara-applied eyes rapidly. The strawberry passion lip gloss on my lips shined in the club lights as my mouth hung open. After a minute or so of just staring, my mind was slowly starting to function again and I quickly shut my mouth for the strange girl was looking at me with a now ravenous gaze.

Wow . . . that was . . . blunt . . . Why must aggressive women always be so blunt?

"Um . . . um -!" She roughly grabbed my hand and literally dragged me to the dance floor, not allowing me to answer her previous question.

I didn't mind dancing with total strangers, but this girl was FREAKING ME OUT.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Blondie?" said a drunken voice.

The girl sighed, annoyed, and then turned to face her inquisitor. "Yes? I'm kind of busy here."

"Could you please let go of my hot and delectable boyfriend here before I, like, hurt you in the most intense meaning of the word?" I turned around to see Tala standing there was a supposed innocent (and drunk) look on his face.

The girl raised an eyebrow, looking quite smug and confident. "_Boy_friend? As you can see, this beautiful angel is obviously a girl, one that's going to dance with _me_, thank you very much. Plus, if she's dancing with over half the people in this club, she obviously must not like you very much. Now if you'll please excuse **us**-"

What the . . . Did she just call me a whore?

Tala snatched my other arm and tugged me towards him. "No, he's a guy. Want me to prove it to you? Just because he cross dresses doesn't mean he lost his reproductive organs! I should know, I've seen it like every night. It's nice. Tasty like a lollipop, only it doesn't dissolve!"

I blushed furiously, wondering which god I had angered to deserve such embarrassment. I glanced over to the lesbian (might I emphasize that she probably doesn't want to hear about a guy's appendages) and almost laughed, though I felt sorry for her. The girl looked pretty disgusted, but didn't show it too much. However she was slowly backing away, her grip from my arm loosening. "Uh, you . . . you can shut up now. I really don't want to hear-"

"I love to see him under me, moaning in pleasure as he takes it up the ass. He always complains about the pain later on, but once I saw him in his room, alone, screaming my name. Of course, when I found out what he was doing, I helped and-"

"UGH! CREEP!" I watched as the girl ran away, but lost track of her as she immediately mixed in with the crowd. Watching just a little longer, I could see her in the very back corner of the club, chatting up with a pretty Hispanic-looking girl. (Aww, they'd be so cute together!)

Tala was still rambling about his sex daydreams, eyes sparkling as his memories dipped into the past. A deep red ran across my cheeks (which were already coated with Glitzy Sugar Candy Pink blush) as he talked about one specific and rather passionate rendezvous. "Err, Tala, she's gone."

The redhead pouted. "REI! You're always spoiling my fun. I was in a state of bliss! I remember our first time, man was it-"

"Ahem."

"DAMN IT!"

Ignoring Tala, I peered behind him to see two bright scarlet eyes staring at me intently. He looked slightly shocked and I don't blame him really. I mean, how would you react if you saw one of your male friends dressed like a fairly convincing girl? I myself would have a heart attack. But then again I've seen Tala wearing skirts a couple of times - quite delicious I must say. In his case I'd rather skip the heart attack and go straight to the ravishing.

"Rei, if I didn't know it was you I'd mistake you for a girl." Kai smirked, returning to his usual cool, I'm-so-much-better-than-you demeanor. Suddenly, his normally sharp eyes softened and looked somewhat dazed. "A really hot one . . ."

I blinked rapidly, trying to both digest the words and memorize them at the same time. I wanted to remember the tone of voice, what he looked like as he said it, what Tala looked like, EVERYTHING. I couldn't believe he just . . . I couldn't believe that he finally . . . here, of all places . . . after all this waiting . . . I felt faint.

The sharpness in his luscious eyes returned and the blue-haired Russian grinned somewhat evilly. Oh my, was I feeling . . . arroused? Wait, no, it was just me being scared shitless from what Kai was planning. "Why do you look so surprised? You've brought this on yourself, you know, dressing so sexy, showing every bit of your perfect caramel skin and beautifully sculpted body. You might as well have a big sign that says 'screw me'."

My heart was beating rapidly, moving the blood through ALL parts of my body. I felt rather hot and flustered and I wanted to either run away in embarrassment or jump Kai right then and there. A difficult, difficult decision. "Uum, I . . . I . . ."

Kai walked closer until he was just a few inches away. He leaned over, his face even closer. That damn smirk was still there. He placed his index finger over my lips and whispered in a honey-smooth voice, "It's okay, you don't have to say anything. Your body already did all the talking . . ."

Suddenly, he was jerked away from me and I was pulled roughly into Tala's embrace.

"Don't hit on my boyfriend, Kai, unless you have a death wish," the redhead sneered, his words slurred. He was pressing my head to his chest and I was having a rather difficult time breathing (not to mention I get the lovely mixed smell of beer and cologne clogging my nose in the meantime). He started stroking my hair and hugging me even closer. "Isn't that right, Rei-rei? We're meant to be!"

What! What was he doing! Wasn't this whole club-thing supposed to help Kai like me?

"Hm, whatever," I heard Kai say in a slightly icy tone, all previous playfulness gone. "I was just joking around anyway."

NO! NO! NO! He wasn't supposed to be joking around! He was supposed to be professing his insatiable love for me! How he couldn't live without my presence! How he wanted to get it on with me! UGH! Why can't this 'love' thing work out for me! Here I was, in women's clothing, to appeal to Kai's tastes, but NO, Tala had to get drunk and ruin the moment! I loved life.

"I don't even know what I'm doing here. This was a complete waste of time, Tala. 3 hours of my life that I'll never get back."

The hope I had tried to cling to was slowly prying me from my grip. Everything was shattering around me in an overdramatic fashion. Perhaps I was too tired of trying, and Kai's uncaring statement was the breaking point. It was like Kai and I would always play this game of cat and mouse. I'm always chasing him, sometimes leaving out cheese to lure him out. And just when I thought I caught got him, he pulls some sneaky maneuver and slips from my grasp again.

I was just a waste of time.

xxx


	8. Three: III

**Disclaimer: **Don't own. 

**Notes: **Revised

xxx

Friday, February 6 

xxx

A rose wilted. What happened next? Was it forgotten, left to the memories of nothing? What became of love then? I always thought love was an eternal thing. I thought once I tasted the true nectar of love I'd never want to leave it.

I didn't know it was supposed to cause pain.

Maybe it wasn't love to start with. It was probably the same thing I experienced with Tala; some sort of desire to satisfy my loneliness. Lust, maybe. A baby step into the real thing, perhaps. But love? Probably not. Love was supposed to be a magnificent feeling. It was something that excited your every nerve and had you craving for more, something that embraced you and filled your whole being.

I felt empty.

Damn, where was the storybook ending I longed for? What happened to the 'Rei, everyone falls in love with you at some point' and the 'You don't even have to bat an eyelash to get the guys and girls running'?

I remembered a year or so ago when Tala told me I was the most beautiful thing he ever laid eyes on. He said that every time he thought of me or looked at me, he fell in love all over again.

_He said I held his most treasured memories._

When I thought of Kai, I didn't have a file of special memories that I had with him. I thought more of how he made me feel whenever he looked at me or how a simple brush of his hand could send huge tremors of emotion through my body.

I always thought that was love.

Guess I was wrong.

xxx

"Rei! Sweetie, I have a drink for you!" Tala skipped uncharacteristically towards me with a brown beer bottle clutched in his hands. He slid into the booth seat across from me and presented me the bottle with an ecstatic smile. "This kind man was nice enough to buy it for you. Isn't that so generous of him?"

It would have been generous if I had the intelligence of a Neanderthal, got high off a large amount of white-out and repeatedly rammed my head into a concrete wall. Too bad I was _not_ a blazing moron and that I was quite sober. A shame, actually. A good beer would have gotten my mind off of recent events.

"No thanks, dear. I'm driving, remember?" I pushed the beer away, although I was quite tempted to chug the thing and spend the rest of the night as a wasted idiot. "And I don't like this brand. It's too strong and it tastes weird."

"Can I have it, then?"

"You sure it's safe? Do you remember what happened to that one kid on the news a few months ago? He accepted a drink and it turns out there was a date-rape drug in it."

"Oh, it's all right. I watched that guy buy it straight off the bar. He couldn't have done anything to it."

"Do what you want then." I watched in distaste as Tala hastily unscrewed the top and drank the foul liquid without hesitation. Just as quick as he started, he finished. Wiping his mouth with a flourish of his sleeve, he topped the bottle again and burped.

Charming.

A fast paced techno song began to play, a refreshing sound compared to the ear-ripping hardcore and monotonous rapping beats that had been playing non-stop since I arrived.

"Hey, Rei, want to dance?" Tala leaned over the table and leered at me with a perverted grin.

"Not really."

He pouted, crawling up on the table and closer to me. He sniffled pathetically, putting on a puppy-dog pout face. "Please, Rei? We haven't done anything together in SOOO long! I feel as if we're drifting apart!"

I sighed, not really in the mood for joking around. "But I've danced all day-"

"But you haven't with me! Please, Rei-chan? Just once!"

I didn't want to dance; I didn't want to do anything…except maybe sulk. Sulking sounded fun. But Tala's face was too irresistible. I stood up and allowed myself to be dragged to the dancing floor anyway. If I couldn't be happy it didn't mean I had to bring everyone else down with me.

Or . . . maybe I should and there'd be no disgusting optimism to slap me in the face.

Too bad I was _such_ a nice person . . . Yeah. Whatever.

A hand was placed dangerously low on my back and Tala began dancing as if he had been doing so this whole time. Reluctantly, I slowly began to move, the music coercing me into dancing a bit more passionately than a machine would.

All I could think about was how everything was rather hopeless. I mean, I'd been chasing after Kai for more than a year, dropping subtle hints until now, where I was trying to come out to him a bit more boldly than usual. But it seemed even Kai couldn't notice these things, which was disheartening. I was starting to believe that Kai was straight or just didn't prefer either sex.

Cold fingers slipped into the back of my shorts, causing me to shiver. I was pulled flush against Tala and I smelled the mixture of strong alcohol and his unique cologne. Immediately, I was reminded of the times we would lie awake in each other's arms. I relaxed, snuggling affectionately into him.

"Rei, you still love me, don't you?" he whispered in my ear, sounding suddenly serious, though there was that childlike desperation that was always carefully masked. "Tell me that us breaking up was just some sort of joke. I won't mind, I swear. I just want you back, my kitten. I love you."

Oh the words I so desperately wanted to hear . . . but from the wrong person. "I thought you got over it-"

"Rei, love isn't something you get over." There was an odd pause as laboured breathing replaced the previous calm. I had a feeling something not-so-good was going to happen. Tala placing his free hand over his mouth was the first clue; the 'I don't feel so good' groan was the second.

Why didn't I get the hint that running would do me good? Why didn't I listen to my instincts? Because I was stupid, that was why.

And it was also the reason why I had semi-digested stomach contents spewed across my clothes and dripping down my skin. Nice.

Could this day get any better?

"Hey, Rei . . ." Tala said, his body leaning heavily onto mine, "I think I'm sick."

I sighed, trying not to cringe in disgust. "Let's just get cleaned up and go home."

"Sorry I blew chunks on ya."

"It's . . . okay . . ." It really wasn't, I mean I have puke all over me, but what was the point in getting mad about it? I was sure Tala was too drunk and nauseous to even care right now.

"I need to lie down. Uuuugh."

"You shouldn't have drunk so much, you know. Your system can't handle all that alcohol." I slung one of his arms over my shoulder and dragged him towards the bathroom, ignoring the looks of sympathy and revulsion that were thrown our way.

The mood shifted. "Shut up, Rei. I know you're right. You're always right. I'm not in the mood to deal with this right now."

I was surprised to say the least, hearing Tala sound so angry toward me. I supposed it was the beer, but I still couldn't help but feel agitated. Being incredibly moody, I was unable to control myself. "_You're_ not in the mood? Honey, I've got your breakfast and lunch ALL over me and I just realized that my chances with Kai are nonexistent! Don't _tell_ me that you're not in the mood."

"God, do you always have to be such a nagging hag? I swear, Rei, sometimes you annoy me so much!"

A twitch . . . and then I shoved him off me. In his drunken state Tala stumbled to the ground, glaring up at me. "Well SOR-RY that I decided to _not_ act like a moron and drink a million gallons of poisonous beer! Possibly drugged, too!"

"I'll drink whatever I want to drink!"

The crowd around us, that was previously dancing, was now staring at us - me in my grotesque state and Tala in his stupid, irrational, moronic one.

"I'm happy for you! But next time, please try to throw up on someone ELSE when you can't handle a drink, okay!"

"Fuck you, Rei!"

"Only in your wet dreams, Tala dear!"

Tala launched himself at me, his hands going for my neck. A wild look of rage flickered in his eyes. I could tell he was no longer in control of himself due to the after effects of alcohol. An animalistic growl escaped his lips, making him sound threatening and intimidating. I could hear people gasp and scream, some even calling for help. I didn't need help.

I was unable to dodge, but the impact didn't hurt as much as it appeared. Hands started to wrap themselves around my neck, and I made attempts to break free. Although I wasn't able to get away, I did manage to roll us over so that I was on top instead. Finding certain pressure points, I was able to relinquish Tala's grip on me. I jumped off him, breathing through my mouth since the vomit smelt so bad.

Tala rose to his feet, acting quite concentrated for a drunk. His eyes, instead of clouded with that dazed look, were sharp with the true essence of emotion.

For a moment we just glared at each other, our surroundings obsolete and unimportant. We only acknowledged each other and our own bombardment of feelings and thoughts.

I was about to say something, perhaps some words of repressed frustrations or whatever it was I'd always been dying to say to him. However, Kai appeared out of nowhere, coming in between us. Tyson and Max followed behind him shortly. Kai roughly grabbed Tala's arm, not saying anything and making his way to the exit. I followed, slowly undoing the frogs of my shirt and sliding it off.

"Rei," Takao whispered, poking at my side, "What were you guys fighting about?"

"Just . . . just something stupid."

"That doesn't sound like something you would do."

The cold night air wrapped around me, scratching a my bare skin with its icy touch. "Yeah, well, I think I'm suffering under a majorly long, dragged out mood swing."

The rest of the walk to the car and the ride home was spent in silence.

xxx


	9. Four

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any aspect of the show Beyblade, including its plot and characters.

**Notes: **I'm in the process of editing the last chapters. It'll take a while since I'm so lazy. But summer break is coming in a few days, so I'll have more time to work on this mess.

Gosh, the usage of dubbed names pains me so.

**ChibiGeneral** – You make me happy._ (hearts)_

xxx

Saturday, February 7

xxx

It was raining again. The seemingly never-ending, constant, monotonous beat made me smile. It had been raining a lot, lately.

I wasn't feeling too good at the moment. My foot was tingling - the after affect of leaving my legs crossed for too long. My back was pinching in pain because sitting without posture wasn't in the least bit healthy. My eyes were watering from staring at nothing.

What could you really label this feeling as?

Dead.

That pretty much summed everything up.

Sleep eluded me once again, and I was so incredibly tired that I was wide awake . . . though that really didn't make any sense. Every time I tried to sleep, I'd be plagued with questions that screamed for answers. Answers that I would make up in my head because I lacked them. Over and over I'd try to make logic of this, but could never find any. Emotions would clash and clash and _clash_ until I could no longer remember what I was feeling in the first place. Thoughts would blur together so that I thought of everything but nothing at the same time.

_Dead_.

I sighed, breaking out of my pseudo-meditative state and lying flat on the bed. My back bathed in relief and my eyes started to water as moisture was returned to them. For a brief moment, I felt comfortable and conscious.

It felt like noon but I knew it was barely past six in the morning. I had been doing nothing but sitting for about an hour. Before that, I cleaned my apartment and finished up some homework Max left for me.

I was supposed to be sleeping. Keywords would be _supposed to_. This whole sleeping shit I got myself into was aggravating and brilliantly moronic. It felt more like a chore now. Something I had to do in order to continue on with my life. Something I was forced to do but didn't want to do. A constant shoving-and-pulling that brought me one step closer to loathing.

In a few hours, I knew that someone, whether it was Kai or Tala or Takao or Max, was going to come over. Because they were all so damned 'concerned' for me. They couldn't leave me alone for a day because they were so convinced that I couldn't take care of myself. I was apparently some diseased animal that needed to be taken care of and checked on constantly.

It was annoying.

"Kai," the words seemed to choke out and echo in a taunting manner, "Kai. Kai. Kai."

I wondered why I loved him. I wondered why his simple words hurt me. I wondered why he was always right _there_, just out of reach but still painstakingly in sight. I wondered and I wondered and I wondered and then I gave up.

Perhaps I was just in heat, I thought, irrationally emotional and possessive. It wasn't exactly heat season, but it was the only excuse I could conjure and I would pour my belief into it. It sounded convenient to me. I was in heat, something I could not control, and I was moody and it would explain my latest bouts of action-without-tact.

Convenient and perfect. Perfect and convenient.

I sat back up and glanced around the sufficiently empty yet meticulously organized room. A plain phone sat on the nightstand next to my bed. A light flashed on and off, indicating that new messages had been accumulated since last I checked. Having nothing else to do, I pressed a button and the messages started to play.

"_Wednesday, February 4. 9:23 p.m."_

"_Rei, it's your boss speaking. You haven't shown up for work today and you didn't call, either. I was just making sure you were doing okay. I also want to see you in my office as soon as possible. Okay? Make sure this doesn't happen again."_

"_Thursday, February 5. 6:07 p.m."_

"_Rei. It's Kai. If you're not picking up then that better mean that you're sleeping. I'll see you later, then."_

"_Friday, February 6. 4:39 p.m."_

"_Hey, Rei! This is Hilary. I was waiting for you at the mall today but you never showed up. Did you forget that we were supposed to go Valentine's shopping together? But it's okay, I just did it by myself. But don't forget on Friday about the dance. I need you there to help with my make-up and stuff, alright! Bye!_"

"_Friday, February 6. 9:17 p.m."_

"_You didn't show up again, Rei. You didn't call in or anything. I'm afraid that if you skip another day without a valid excuse, I'll have to lay you off your duties. I'm being generous. I **don't** want a repeat of this in the future."_

"_End of messages."_

Shit. I completely forgot about work and Hilary and everything else that didn't include what Tala and the others were shoving in my face and the sudden blow up of emotions. I was supposed to have called Lee and the other White Tigers a few days ago, and I was supposed to have met up with a counselor after school to discuss my scholarship application for college.

I breathed in and out. In and out. Over and over again.

No more teenage angst, I promised myself. No more '_ohgodit'sKai_' and girly fantasies. There'd be none of that. It was bothersome. Pointless. Unnecessary. At this point in my life, love would do nothing but get in the way. It would interfere and crowbar its way into my perfectly structured life. There'd be no more no matter how much it hurt.

"Kai," I said, standing up and cracking stiff joints and stretching cramped muscles. The words were choked and echoed repeatedly in my head. "Kai. Kai. Kai."

I still felt dead . . . but now I'm dead with a motive?

I hadn't been making much sense at all today and not making sense now.

The rain fell endlessly in its never-ending curse. I felt better. It made me think that I was supposed to be this way. I didn't feel so alone.

xxx

**Notes: **Just a short transition chapter.


	10. Five

**Disclaimer: **In my dreams.

**Notes: **I'm terribly sorry for taking so long to update and updating with short chapters. But you have to consider that I'm working off of nothing, here. No solid plotline or inspiration. And I still have like . . . 2 chapter left to edit. I'll get to them . . . eventually. Perhaps before the summer is over! Maybe.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

**Warnings: **Vulgar language and some _(ahem)_ Tala x Rei and implied sex.

**_IMPORTANT:_** **_In this chapter, this whole flashback ENDS. I hope you all remember that this was a flashback in the first place :P Anyway, the scene goes back to Valentine's Day, where Rei is sitting in his chair in front of the fireplace. Go back to the first chapter if you don't remember._**

xxx

Sunday, February 8

xxx

I was so absorbed with typing up a paper (an essay discussing why discrimination between groups of people must and always will exist) that time seemed to slip by quicker than normal. It was as if I was locked in my own little illusion and reality flitted away in the background as something insignificant, like a fly or a gnat. Yesterday was nothing but studying, assignments, extra credit, and club duties. Today was going to be nothing but studying, assignments, extra credit, and club duties.

Eat, my stomach would tell me. Sleep, my body would tell me. _Be normal_, my mind would tell me.

_Listen_.

I did, and I heard the door creak open then creak shut again. I hadn't locked it again, I noted, though I didn't particularly care. If it was a burglar (though, why a burglar would want to rob _me_, a teenage boy depending on his uncle who lived across the world, was beyond my understanding), well, I just hoped the person wouldn't be a nagging bitch like the rest of my friends.

"Rei, one of these days, you're going to get raped and it's going to be your entire fault."

And there he was, in his fiery radiance, eyebrows arched and blue eyes staring directly at me. They were interrogating me. Silently and thoroughly, staring at me with such a quiet rage that it was _almost_ aggravating. It was almost worth the effort of acknowledging. Luckily, the redhead knew me well enough to not require answers in return.

"Perhaps I should introduce you to the lock."

"No need. However, you can introduce yourself to your way _out_ the door. Hmm?"

"You've got the most intriguing bags under your eyes, you know. Really clashes with your complexion. Did you know that insomniacs had a tendency to hyperventilate and become clinically insane?" Tala, as elegantly and intimidating as always, sat in a nearby couch. His eyes were still asking, still probing, still searching. Still, still, _still_, being a pain in the ass.

His presence was enough to repel me – I decided to ignore the fact that I felt like I was afraid of being 'found out' – and I averted my gaze to the bright, white computer screen. An imitation of a blank sheet of paper with tiny, black, English characters embraced me in their scholastic comfort. "I'm not an insomniac. I can sleep, I just choose not to."

Tala scoffed, "You _can't_ sleep. I know you can't."

"You know nothing."

"Oh, but I do understand that you've become the biggest prick in the last couple of days. And why? Because your little KaiKai won't succumb to your will and thrust himself into your arms like everyone else would do. Because Kai isn't easy to manipulate." The red head crossed his arms and legs. Apparently he found more entertainment in his fingernails than my face. "Poor, poor Rei. He falls apart when something doesn't go his way."

That wasn't it. That just wasn't the reason, I told myself. I told myself that my sudden change in personality was to be blamed on the stress of school. Yes. _Yes_. School was the reason. But nobody else, nobody fucking ELSE would believe me. They point and assume and conjure all sorts of stories to match. They laugh and laugh and say 'Rei Kon, you fail' because it was true.

"Only you are to blame, you know."

I knew, but it was easier to forget that I had basically dug my own grave.

"I don't know what happened to your ego, but all of a sudden you think everything needs to be so damned perfect for you."

That was true, but I've always been perfect. Always.

"You've forgotten your morals, your values, and your honour."

I forgot, but love was always such a blinding thing, was it not?

He stopped talking; I stopped thinking. We stared at each other and saw our past in each other's eyes. We stared at each other and remembered the love and the kisses and the passion. He stood on his feet and in an inhumanly swift movement, pressed our lips together so that we could once again live in our past. It was so perfect then. I wanted that perfection to integrate with the present.

I could vaguely hear the door creaking in the background, but I was too used to the sound to care about anything else besides Tala's soft lips and his soft, soft tongue. His warm hands ghosting over my skin, his hot breath and lustful eyes – I wanted them again. Just for a moment.

It was all a bit mundane and over-played, really.

xxx

It was sticky. The sweat and other bodily fluids made the fabric of the sheets cling to me like second skin. I tried to peel it off but couldn't find the strength to do so. Across my bed lied Tala. He was fast asleep, most likely exhausted from our previous activities. I could barely even remember what happened, as if I had been drunk the entire time. The traces of the memories were there, but I couldn't get a firm grasp on the details. All I remembered was a sudden seizure of desire and release of self-control.

As I lied there, staring up at the ceiling with sticky sheets and the putrid smell of sweat and sex, all I could think was 'fuck it'. Fuck it _all_.

If I wanted to be a fickle whore, fucking dammit I'll BE a fickle whore.

Fuck Kai.

Fuck Tala.

Fuck _love_.

I crawled closer to Tala, taking his arm and placing it over my waist. His chest was as warm and smooth and flawless as it has always been. His soft breathing caressed me into memories long buried. For the shameless moment that time seemed to have reversed two years back and I was once again sixteen years old, I forgot about Kai.

xxx

Saint Valentine's Day

xxx

That was how it started, and that is all I can remember. The rest of that school week was boring, the excitement of the week before that burying itself among the 'welcome back's and the teasing and the homework the make-up quizzes and tests, and work. It was a blur of off-white painted brick walls, blank faces of teachers, and desks. I saw Kai around once or twice, but it was just like it had been before he clawed his way back into my life. He ignored me and I ignored him. Friendship? What friendship? High school always did destroy the preciousness of childhood.

I barely remember the Valentine's Day dance. I barely remember being the gay best friend to Hilary. I barely remember getting dressed in my own formal attire. I barely remember anything. There was vague faces, vague conversations, vague everything. It was like I lived the past week separated from my body, like I was watching my life as an entirely separate being.

The lights suddenly flicker back on, a faint buzzing sound ripping through the previous silence. The sudden brightness hurts my eyes but I smile anyway. The rain was numbed down to a light drizzle and the thunder and lightning rolled away with the wind.

Valentine's Day is almost over.

xxx

**Notes: **Well, I hope that wasn't too confusing _o.o;;_ Please don't kill me off, yet. The Kai x Rei will appear . . . It will definitely be _there_, but I can't promise that it'll arrive anytime soon. Right now I'm playing around with Rei's lingering infatuation with Tala and his desire to get his old life back. Kai is dissolving into the shadows a bit, but he'll come back soon enough. In fact, he's going to be in the next chapter! _From here on out, everything's going to be in Kai's POV_! Confused? You bet you are!

Doesn't anyone else just love seeing Rei fall apart a little? _:D_

If you all are a bit confused on the whole plot and want a cut-and-dry summary of what's happened so far, I have one conveniently typed up here!

**A quick overview: **After hearing that Rei, who after the tournament was living by himself with financial help from his uncle, has been having some problems, Kai takes it upon himself to resume 'captain' position for a while and tend to Rei's life a little (and is a bit concerned with Rei's habit of not locking the doors). It's the perfect makeshift opportunity for both him and Rei to have some time off from school. Enter Tala who is still madly in love with Rei even after their breakup and is torn between guiding Rei towards happiness with Kai and satiating his own wants. After a hectic week including a strange dream that he couldn't really make sense of, seeing Tyson (who frequently goes away for long periods of time to teach beyblading), a fight covered in puke, cross-dressing and being hit on by a lesbian and a horny straight guy, a strage bet, and Dance Dance Revolution, Rei goes back to school, but not before having a bit of an intimate run-in with Tala. Finally, everything starts to settle down, especially after Rei pledges his complete detachment from Kai and his sole devotion to schoolwork. Even the most-anticipated Valentine's Day dance had a dull edge to it! As Rei's story comes to a close, the gate swings open and reveals Kai's view on the experience.

I'll see you guys a few months from now! _(laughs nervously and runs away)_


	11. Six

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing relating to or concerning Beyblade!

**Notes:** Sorry for the unexpected hiatus! But we can all thank **Shin Rigel** for being wonderful and motivating me to finish this chapter.

So, every chapter from here on will be in Kai's POV. **_Pay close attention to the day markers, though! Or you'll be confused!_**

I love you guys! Thank you all for the gorgeous reviews!

xxx

Saint Valentine's Day

_Kai Hiwatari_

xxx

"The lights are back on . . ." I mutter, looking across the room to Rei, the black cat doll with only one yellow button eye who always sits in the armchair nearest the window. Rei stared at me. Outside the window, lights begin to punctuate the blackness of the city, acting as the stars that are currently absent from the cloudy night sky. The sounds of a television mark the beginning of the end of suffocating silence.

I leave the living room (and the book for class I am supposed to finish) and walk to my bedroom. I plop down on the twin-sized bed, now ready to go to sleep with the comfort that Rei – the cat not the person - will not be left alone in the dark.

Suddenly, piercing through the stagnant silence, my mobile begins to vibrate rapidly on the nightstand. I reach over blindingly, groping around for the slim frame of my phone. Once finding it, just as the vibrating stops, I flip it open to find a voice message from "unknown." I press several buttons of which I am vaguely aware of their function, and the honey-sweet voice of Rei Kon sifts through the speakers.

"Kai . . . this is Rei. I just wanted to wish you a happy Valentine's Day. I'm sorry if I interrupted you or something. See you at school tomorrow. Um . . . bye . . ."

I blink. Over the past couple of days, Rei had been acting much more strange and distant towards me, and I was starting to believe that he was purposely dodging me. It's nice to know that he isn't avoiding me, especially after I went out of my way to help him when he had sleeping problems. He's doing better now, according to Max. He looks and acts a lot happier. He just doesn't talk to me.

I'm happy that his life is going smoothly and that he's the same Rei Kon from four years ago. But there's something about him that has been bothering me, ever since I saw him and Tala sucking face.

I hate it.

xxx

Monday, February 9

xxx

It was Monday again. When I first saw him, he was leaning against his locker talking with Tala. As usual, Rei was smiling, and Tala was smirking. Just like when they were still going out. Actually, to be honest, I wasn't sure if they had actually split up or not, especially after what I saw the night before. I gave them a quick wave before walking swiftly to class, not wishing to be late unless I wanted to be shouted and bitched at by my demon teacher. Tala and Rei, I supposed, were offended. I vaguely heard Tala mutter 'such a bastard!'

However, I cared about as much, as there was time left for the bell to ring.

I walked as swiftly as I could without seeming too desperate to get to class.

It rang.

I cursed.

xxx

"Mr. Hiwatari, please direct yourself to the office for a pass," the teacher, with sneering eyes, commanded. She stood up to her full height, which was at best five feet, and spat out, "I won't tolerate tardies-"

I was already out the door, rolling my eyes and slowly making my way towards the main office of which I have acquainted myself so well. The secretary, a man in his early thirties with a kind face, smiled at me knowingly and handed me a pink slip already filled out.

On my way back to class, I passed the nurse's room. I paused when I heard a familiar voice from inside, backtracking and glancing through the window in the door. There was Tala with an unconscious Rei in his arms. Tala looked slightly worried, only enough so that he didn't look completely heartless as the supposed boyfriend. The blonde nurse was testing Rei's temperature and pulse, round face pulled in concern.

"He collapsed," said Tala, as sarcastic as always. There was a pause. "We were running to class, and he passed out."

"Well, he doesn't seem to have a fever . . ." said the nurse, hands on her wide hips, "but he does show symptoms of mild dehydration and perhaps malnutrition. Have his eating habits changed drastically as of late? Has he lost any weight?"

"He's always been light. Never was a big eater."

"Is he . . . anorexic?"

"N-"

My eyes widened at that hideous word. At this moment, worried and curious at the same time, I charged into the room to both Tala's and the nurse's surprise. The nurse was about to reprimand me, her index finger already wagging disapprovingly. However, I turned my attention to Tala, who was glaring at me venomously. "What do you want, Hiwatari?"

"What's wrong with him?" I demanded.

"Oh, so you _care_, now?"

I growled, feeling the sudden urge to throw a punch in his face. I could just imagine Rei standing in front of the mirror, topless, with his skin sagging against his body and bones showing so very prominently. I shuddered. "Answer the damn question."

Tala's icy voice was thick with cutthroat danger and unvoiced threats, his hand pressing Rei even closer to himself, "_Listen_, Kai, it is none of your concern. It will never _be_ of your concern. I can take care of Rei as it is obvious that you cannot."

"I-"

"Mr. Hiwatari," the nurse cut in, her booming voice sounding menacing and bitchy as was characteristic of all females, "I suggest you go back to class this very instant. This does not concern you, so shoo! SHOO!"

With one last glare towards Tala, who was so protectively hugging the unconscious Rei to him, I left the room, not forgetting to slam the door.

I waited outside the nurse's door, listening carefully to the muffled conversation. I couldn't hear anything specific, but I could soon hear a feeble voice that I identified as Rei. I felt immediate relief. A few minutes, a couple of questioning teachers, and several sighs of boredom later, the door opened and out came Tala and Rei. Tala, pausing in his fussing over Rei's ability to function, caught my eye and narrowed his eyes.

The two passed me. Tala made sure to bump against my shoulder, causing me to stumble backwards.

"Hey, Rei-" I called out; ignoring the spiteful glare Tala sent me. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and smiled before walking away. His whole figure exuded exhaustion, yet he repeatedly refused to go home or allow the redhead to support him. The confident and powerful air Rei once held was now a wilted feeling of trying to keep conscious.

And what worried me the most and could never quite leave me alone was the significant lack of sincerity in that smile and those lifeless eyes.

As I walked down the corridors and up the stairwell to my class, I could not stop thinking about that lackluster smile. Eventually, I arrived at my classroom.

"I'm glad you finally decided to join us, Mister Hiwatari," the teacher sneered, "Now if you'll please sit down, we can continue discussing derivatives. Oh, and because you all seem to know the information so well that you insist on talking rather than listening to me, we can have the test right now. _Sit down, Hiwatari!_"

The class groaned in unison, immediately quieting down afterward and feinted rapt attention as the teacher scribbled down a problem and proceeded to solve it.

The blue writing on the whiteboard blurred as I, too, pretended to listen to the lecture. The teacher's high-pitched squawk of a voice faded into a murmur. There was a more pressing issue of which I cannot solve. More accurately, my efforts were failing.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but Rei was acting strangely towards me. A few days ago, when I tried to bridge the widening gap between us, he seemed to pick up our friendship where we left off before Tala became involved. He did it all without a second thought or hesitation. Just as quickly as we were friends again, that connection shattered.

And there was the problem of Tala. Obviously, I had done something of terrible merit if I was suddenly not allowed to be anywhere near Rei. He held Rei with such a protective fervor reminiscent of when they began their relationship. I assumed that they were together again, from the passionate kiss I almost walked in on last night to the scene in the nurse's office. I felt a distinct feeling of rage clawing from within me that could not be described.

The bell signaled the end of class. The teacher shrieked, demanding that the class remain seated until she dismissed them. Just as soon as the last person sat down and she gave out a lengthy and time-consuming homework assignment, the class was dismissed.

I decided I needed to settle this matter by talking with Rei. The only complication was Tala.

xxx

School ended with an amusing fight between two boys in the courtyard. Several of the male teachers had a difficult time pulling the large soccer team members apart. Both boys were banned from the team and were given ten days of suspension from school. Everyone was talking about it. Even while I was using the toilet, two boys were heatedly discussing the reasons behind the argument, the details of the fight, and the teachers involved.

I finished my business just as the two boys walked out, still conversing. Washing my hands, the door swung open again.

"I can use the bathroom by myself, Tala," said the familiar voice of Rei, sounding much more sound and healthy than before in the nurse's office. He took one step away from the door and gasped when he saw me. He smiled that same lackadaisical smile, shuffling his feet in what I perceived as nervousness. "Hey, Kai."

"Hey, Rei," I started, raking at the folds of my mind for the right words and the right topic, "Listen, I need to talk to you."

He blinked, "Can't this wait till later?"

"No."

He looked confused but nodded. He chose a urinal and unzipped his pants, continuing with his business unashamedly. "Well, what is it?"

I grabbed a length of paper towels and dried my hands. "You're getting sleep right? This morning you were unconscious, and the nurse said something about you being anorexic-"

"Of course I'm getting sleep," Rei answered a bit too quickly for my satisfaction. His eyes held that same dullness that I didn't think I could ever become familiar with. "And I'm not anorexic. I eat whenever I'm hungry."

"I didn't ask for you to tell me what I want to hear. I'm asking for the truth," I frowned, staring at the textured, brown, and crumpled paper towel. I could hear Rei zipping his pants and washing his hands. "This could turn into a problem. A _health_ problem. I'm worried-"

"Rei!" The door opened and in came Tala, neutral face quickly transforming into pure anger. His fists clenched. "Rei, you said that you wouldn't speak to him!" He jabbed his finger in my direction, ice blue eyes burning with loathing.

"Tala-"

"Who said that you have any say in who he says things to!" I slapped his hand away from my face, glaring. Just seeing him pissed me off.

"Kai-"

"Get _fucked, _Hiwatari!"

Suddenly, with a rage I've never seen from him outside of a beybattle, Rei stormed out of the bathroom. Like a lost puppy, Tala followed but not before giving me one last glare. I returned the favor. I watched as the door swung shut once again, mind blank and hatred draining away quickly.

After a moment of being at a complete loss - a feeling I was not used to experiencing and a feeling I wished to never again experience - I tossed the paper towel into the rubbish bin and made my way home. I had to suppress the powerful urge to detour to Rei's apartment complex.

It was raining.

xxx


	12. Seven

**Notes:** This is going to be a very boring chapter. It's mostly an "everything is explained!" chapter. Blaaah. Thank you guys for the support!

Today is my birthday! Love me! _XD_

xxx

Tuesday, February 10

xxx

I walked along with the black wave of uniformed students rushing home. School ended without incident. It had been the same, systematic shit that defines the very existence of the education field. Pink slip, class, work, more pink slips, more classes, more work. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The clouds continued to blanket the sky, obscuring both sunshine and happiness and reflecting the dull mood of the present. The rain had stopped sometime during the ghastly early hours of the morning but promised its return with a lingering scent that almost suffocated.

Perhaps it had been a mixture of unwanted gloominess and unsettled anger that made me grab Tala by the shirt as soon as I saw him alone. We were just outside the school gates and several people glanced curiously at us, their senses signaling a potential fist fight.

"Let go," Tala growled, stance calm, "you look like even more of an idiot."

I glared but released him civilly. Motioning for him to follow, I led the way towards some random direction. All I wanted was to talk.

We quietly walked side-by-side, both channeling an irrational hatred towards each other. The silence soon dissolved when we simultaneously turned to each other, in the middle of the sidewalk, and simply _talked_ (or, more accurately, _shouted_).

"Why are you being such a fucking bastard?"

"Have you always had a taste for breaking hearts?"

"What the hell is wrong with you lately? Why aren't you letting me talk to Rei?"

"It's for the best! You're hurting him!"

"Hurting _him_? He's got you and Takao and Max! I've got nobody _but_ him!"

"Good to know that you treat your friends like crap!"

I paused, mouth open with a retort ready on my tongue. I stared at Tala, a fiery rage threaded throughout his entire form. He stared back. His words echoed and reverberated in my mind, and I couldn't quite make sense of them. The logicality was lost at the implication that I was a horrible friend.

I could only stand in silence and confusion as Tala told me to meet him at his flat later that night. He then left without a goodbye and disappeared into the mass of detached and unaware people.

Sighing, I turned the opposite direction and made my way towards my own apartment. The crowd thinned when I reached the more isolated part of the city. I looked up the building, silently reminding myself to call my mother and grandfather for the monthly rent.

A rush of warm air greeted me as I stepped inside. Throwing my bag – filled with homework I would eventually ignore – aside, I threw myself on the couch, groaning in exhaustion. The clock indicated that I still had a few hours before I was apparently _obligated_ to drag my ass across nearly the entire city to have a conversation with Tala face-to-face (apparently, the telephone was not worthy enough for the great, stuck up prick) at _his_ place.

I groaned once again, forcing myself to sit up and prepare dinner.

xxx

A dish of slightly burnt leftover fish and rice later, I was already halfway to my destination. It was cold, however not enough to require a heavy jacket. Neon lights definitive of the nightlife outshined the moon and stars. I remembered when Rei and I used to sit alone in the unthinkable hours of the night simply admiring the heavens.

Shaking my head, I turned on a road and continued my way. Soon, a slightly run-down building came into view, dark and foreboding. I was able to find my way up to Tala's floor in the near-pitch black. The temptation to go up another floor made me hesitate. Blocking that thought from my mind, I knocked and waited.

The door merely swung open, no familiar face to greet me. When I stepped inside, the first thing I noticed was the simplicity borderline emptiness of the room. It was as if Tala had recently moved in, though I knew Tala had lived at this very address for the last three years. This was technically my first time in his apartment.

Tala was sitting in an armchair. He gestured towards another, a silent command for me to sit.

"So," Tala began when I settled myself comfortably, "You wanted a little heart-to-heart, did you?"

I nodded.

Tala nodded.

"Why," I started, gripped the armrests of the chair firmly and not meeting his eyes, "do you think I'm being horrible to Rei?"

The look on his face told me that I had asked a very, very stupid question. "Kai, I don't know about you, but abandoning a friend for nearly three years and then _suddenly_ caring again doesn't instill much trust. I have stuck by him for those three years, and now he-" His breath caught and he casually redirected his thoughts. "You may not realise it, but you've done the worst possible thing you could ever do to him."

At that moment, I knew, and hypocrisy had no qualms in sliding itself down my throat. I shifted uncomfortably, very much aware of my crime. Clearing my throat, I mumbled, "Do you love him?"

"Of course I do, idiot."

"How can you . . . you know . . ."

Crossing his arms and legs, Tala raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't."

I could feel embarrassment wrapping around my face. The size of my toenails suddenly became of interest. "How can you be . . . _gay_?" I cringed at the utter foolishness of those words. They sounded so incredibly close-minded, as if I were disgusted by the idea of it. I wanted more to sound curious, wanting to experience what Tala had.

He only sniggered with a mischievous sharpness in his blue eyes. He let out a blissful sigh as he closed his eyes and leaned back into the comfort of the chair. A grin curled suspiciously on his lips, and a tongue peeked out to lick them. Opening his eyes, he sat up to look me. "It's like being straight, if you can call yourself that, only more _fun_." The grin seemed to magnify with perverseness at the last word. He then stood up and nodded his head towards a certain direction.

As I followed slightly behind him, I noticed that the hallways were also just as empty as the living room. However, once we stepped through the last door on the right, it was as if stepping into a completely different home. Photographs in fancy frames decorated the walls, desks, drawers, and nightstands. Tickets and receipts were tacked to the wall as well.

"I wanted to show you this," Tala whispered. The memories seemed to capture him and kidnap him into a completely different reality. "Maybe you'll understand my protectiveness over Rei just a little bit better.

The tangible form of true love was displayed before me. It was then that I realized I was interfering with something beyond my understanding.

Tala continued, sounding as if he was speaking to himself, "We were the perfect couple. We persevered through any arguments. I didn't feel pressured to be the cliché loving boyfriend. He didn't feel pressured to take our relationship further. Our nights together were filled with passion and romance. I left my home country and moved here to Japan just to be with him. There's no doubt in my mind that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, no matter what's happening now."

Feeling awkward and out-of-place, I could only stare at the carpet.

"So," he addressed me indirectly, "it's not that I _hate_ you or anything. I'm only looking out for what's best for Rei."

"I guess my opinion isn't important here."

"Exactly." His voice reflected icy command. "Now, if we're done-"

I was already on my way out, seething and frustrated. The door slammed shut behind me, and I stomped almost childishly down the steps. The moon floated calmly in the black sky, almost taunting me and laughing at me. The cold hand of wind slapped me in the face and raped me of heat.

I was left alone in the abandoned street, cold as always.

Perhaps this was a matter of destiny, but it conflicted with what I wanted. It took away everything I needed. Perhaps this had been decided since the beginning, but something was going to change as long as I had a say.

I smirked, mentally formulating a plan that was sure to undermine what that little fucker called fate had in mind. Pulling out my mobile, I scrolled down the list of contacts and came across my desired acquaintance. I leaned against the wall of a decrepit building, waiting for the recipient to answer.

"Hello?" came the cranky-sounding, grumpy, familiar and welcome voice.

"Why hello. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

xxx

**Notes:** If you know the usual pattern in multi-chapter KaRe fics, you're sure to make a good guess as to who the person is _XD; _I love him, you love him, we all love him!

I've got two major exams in the next month. The SAT and the AP Environmental Science exam. Wish me luck as I assign these two exams the decision of my future! _O:_


	13. Eight

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything concerning Bakuten Shoot Beyblade

**Notes:** Lawlz, I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Anyway, I would like to announce that I'm really annoyed with my usage of dub names. Stupid me. On the bright side, it's getting closer to the end of this fic! Finally! Thank you to **Shin Rigel** and **Blackie and Goldie** for all their help!

xxx

Wednesday, February 11

xxx

I met up with him at the airport after another lovely, glorious day of school without seeing either Rei or Tala. It was a few minutes shy of five in the afternoon, and both the train ride to and from were filled with stressed and grumpy adults and chatting teenagers. Bryan was simply content with being utterly and completely silent. Until, of course, we were hidden from the masses of society within my flat.

"You always come up with the worst solutions for your problems, Kai," said Bryan Kuznetsov who was currently sitting in my luggage-dotted living room, looking absolutely irritated at his situation. He muttered something and turned to glare fiercely at me.

"And yet you're here."

Unable to come up with a retort, Bryan huffed with a look that suggested embarrassment. He crossed his arms as he gazed out the window.

For a moment, the two of us simply sat there trying to get used to each other's nearly alien company. He would move his leg, and my eye would twitch. The muffled voices of the television squeezed through the tension and somehow enunciated the sounds of the late morning. We coughed simultaneously.

Not wanting to waste time fumbling around in awkwardness, I cleared my throat and shifted on the couch a bit, saying, "Dinner?"

"Sure."

xxx

After observing him for about half an hour, I could tell something was very, very wrong. It wasn't his chattiness as much as it was his tendency to glance expectedly out the window and quickly look back at the table surface as if shy. I didn't know Bryan too well, but he seemed, if nothing else, _nervous_. I left my observations unsaid, not wanting to sound like an utter idiot should I be wrong.

However, suddenly, Bryan placed his pizza down on his paper plate and stared at something behind me without much focus. "Do you think your plan will work?"

I nodded. The plan was, in all modesty, perfect. I could only assume correctly that Tala's infatuation (borderline obsession, I noted) with Rei was simply because Rei was the only other person around that Tala _liked_. So, logically, having Bryan, probably the only other person in the world that was friendly with Tala, 'visit' in Japan would dramatically lower the redhead's overprotection of Rei.

And, perhaps, I could get my friend back.

Bryan had a shine in his eyes that told me he was smiling even if he didn't show it.

He must have enjoyed his pizza or something.

Later, just as the sun sunk well behind the tall skyscrapers, and the sky transformed into a palette of warm hues, we walked the crowded streets in one general direction. One wouldn't be able to tell that we were acquainted or even living together momentarily.

The tall building of my apartment complex was soon standing in an intimidating manner before us. Bryan grabbed my arm when I moved towards the stairs. His head was tilted back, eyes taking in the vast heavens.

"Tala and I used to always . . ." Bryan started but paused as he was completely captivated by the golden rays of the setting sun. He then abruptly turned on his heel and stomped up the stairwell. I could just barely hear the end of his sentence.

'_. . . curse sunsets.'_

xxx

I called Rei as soon as I got home. The smooth, sweet voice of his answering machine greeted me. Leaving a short message, I hung up and immediately dialed Tala's number. After several rings during which I doodled a small stick figure on the pad next to my phone, he finally picked up, sounding angry.

"I'm giving you five minutes."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you know where Rei is? He's not picking up his phone."

"Work," he replied matter-of-factly, as if I were too stupid to realise-

"Wait. Work?" The word was almost foreign to my tongue, and it left a bitter taste. "As in school work?"

"Work as in he offers his services to a business to earn money." Tala paused. I could almost hear the smugness that saturated the silence. "You mean . . . you didn't even know _that_?"

The tip of my pen was soon digging into the paper. Without even thinking, I pulled the phone away from my mouth and shouted, "Bryan! Go put some clothes on!" Replacing the phone to my ear and ignoring the bewildered look the mentioned male gave me, I faked an apologetic tone. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Silence stretched between us innocently for several seconds.

"I'm coming over."

And then I heard nothing but one long, continuous, monotonous ring.

In less than 10 minutes, a frantic knocking that I refused to answer forced Bryan to his feet. He violently flung the door open, his mouth ready to lash out and his eyes narrowing. I watched in curiosity as Bryan's face quickly morphed from anger to shock to recognition and, finally, to genuine happiness.

"If I don't see you hugging me in the next five seconds, I'm going to have to bitch slap you," said Tala, his gentle expression mismatching his statement.

I felt sick.

They hugged, Tala invited himself inside, and the two of them seemed to go on for hours catching up and flirting in a language unique only to them. They were doing this all in my living room and ignoring me. They were in their own little universe that consisted of Tala and Bryan.

And watching them made me feel lonely and isolated and impure. It made me think _well, damn, I wish I had someone like that_.

As I stared out the window at the black sky, yellow eyes and a soft smile flashed for a second.

_Oh, wait, I do_.

"Are you still with Rei?" Bryan asked in what appeared to be a nonchalant manner. For the first time that night, he avoided eye contact with Tala.

Normally, Tala would smirk and close his eyes and respond with a confident 'we're on a break, but we'll be together soon.' This time, however, was an exception. He averted his gaze from Bryan to the blank television screen, and his lips pursed. "We're on a break."

"Oh."

After a quick glance at his watch, Tala stood and changed the subject. "Would you like to stay with me? It'd be like back when we were kids and in the Abbey . . . only at my flat."

Bryan, surprisingly, shook his head. "No thanks. Kai invited me here. I should stay with him."

Tala's eyes narrowed. "But we haven't seen each other in three _years_."

"I'll still see you around, stupid." Bryan grinned, standing up as well and punching Tala playfully on the shoulder. "Maybe next time _you'll_ be the one to call me, hm?"

"Bastard."

xxx

_Rei had creamy white skin that was only emphasized by the moonlight. The look in his eyes and his quickened breath seemed to be seductresses, pulling me closer until we were kissing. _

_Pulling away, my eyes took in the delicious sight of Rei's smooth, flat chest and firm abdomen._

"_Kai . . ."_

_His fingertips slid up my arms and caressed my collarbone before framing my face and bringing me back towards him. He smiled that beautiful smile characteristic of him and only him. He whispered my name yet again and pulled me down into a hug._

"_I'm so happy."_

xxx


	14. Nine

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything concerning Bakuten Shoot Beyblade.

**Notes: **Dang, yo. I missed my third year anniversary for this fic. Haha, I'm such a lame writer. I average out to about 4 chapters a year. I'm so sorry that you lovely readers are stuck with someone like me!

Anyway, the main reason I haven't updated in half a year is because, being a high school senior, I am laden with responsibilities that are unfortunately devouring my existence.

Thank you to my lovely **Shin Rigel**for checking this for me. I love her!

xxx

Thursday, February 12

xxx

I woke up to a painfully obvious and obviously painful hard-on. For some unknown reason (or perhaps some reason that my subconscious so cleverly suppressed) I felt a profound disappointment, as if I hadn't finished a very important task. I couldn't remember what it was. All I remember was that my dream had been very, very, very arousing.

I looked at my bedside alarm clock, vaguely aware of reality. It was about an hour before the usual time I woke up for school, and there was no chance that I would fall back asleep with this monstrosity between my legs. So, with a reluctant sigh, I journeyed towards the shower to remedy the problem and begin my daily morning routine.

Once dressed with an entire hour and a half left until I had to leave, I discovered Bryan sleeping on the couch, curled and looking like a child. Feeling rather generous – and perhaps not wanting to disturb the unusually innocent-looking Russian – I prepared myself breakfast. Of course, the kitchen proficiency that I had previously displayed had been merely me reading off a box of pre-made mix. Unfortunately, I did not own such a mix and settled for a new box of supposedly nutritious cereal.

When I finished, I ventured back in the living room to see Bryan rolled on his other side, still sound asleep. I really had no idea that the boy was so lazy (though I really couldn't say anything, for I liked to sleep in late on the weekends). Sparing Bryan no more thought, I grabbed my school bag, keys, and started on my long, arduous journey to the public educational system.

I spent my classes doodling on paper and sneaking my music player.

All day, I had only seen Rei once. But instead of looking at me and smiling at me, he was looking at Tala and smiling at Tala. And Tala was looking and smiling at a daydream of Bryan.

And it was fucking annoying because _damn it_ I didn't want to lose the closest friend I ever had! Especially to some slut who _obviously _didn't care about Rei as much as he claimed.

We were all dancing some sort of cruel waltz that a faceless deity orchestrated with amused eyes and malicious hands.

xxx

After school, I spotted Rei amongst the massive sea of students and quickly – yet inconspicuously, so as not to seem desperate – carved a path towards him. I then grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the noise and body heat (though, I quickly let him go because the mere feel of his skin, I didn't know why, created a strange warmth that reverberated through my body that was reminiscent of my dream).

"Hey, Kai," said Rei with an air of nonchalance and normality, as if he _hadn't _been actively avoiding me the entire damn day. "Did you need something?"

I cleared my throat, trying to gather the words I needed in order to engage my ingenious plan to impress Rei with my physical prowess. Taking a deep breath, I started, "Well, I was just wondering if you would . . . I mean . . ." Seeing the slightly bewildered look on Rei's face, I cursed myself and started over. "What I meant was: Do you want to hang out with me? We could go to the training center and practice together like old times."

And for the first time in a long time, Rei smiled that brilliant smile where his eyes shined like stars. "That sounds great! I'll ask Tala to-"

"No," I interrupted, "Just you and me."

"Sure. Can we grab some food on the way, I'm starving!"

I nodded as we began to walk away from the school, arms brushing as we enjoyed each other's company. Although it wasn't exactly like old times – Rei was a little more reserved than usual – I couldn't help the feeling of completion and total happiness that took hold of me.

"What are you so happy about?" Rei inquired, a teasing grin on his lips.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just glad that I could be with you."

Rei's face, for some reason I could not fathom, tinged pink. "O-oh." Suddenly, he pointed straight ahead at a well-loved fast-food restaurant that did not look as busy as it normally was. "How about we eat there? I'll even pay."

Snatching away his wallet, I took out my own. "You don't have to."

"But Kai-"

"I _said_ that you don't have to." I bit my lip, wondering if that sounded too harsh. "I mean, I did invite you. I don't mind."

"Well, if you don't mind . . ."

During our meal, we talked about various topics that ranged from petty to serious. We talked about Tyson's crush on Max. We talked about Bryan and Tala. We talked about Rei's work. Schoolwork, beyblading, the future – we talked until the sun went down.

I paid our bill and we were on our way home, deciding that it was much too late to train. When we came to the intersection where our paths separated, Rei, his eyes turned towards the rich, orange sky, let out a breath that spoke of a satisfying afternoon.

"Kai," said Rei, his eyes closing in thought, "I have something I need to tell you."

I grunted in acknowledgment.

"You see, I've wanted to tell you this for such a long time, but I . . . I was afraid of what you were going to say. I didn't," Rei took a deep breath, "I didn't want to lose our friendship."

Confused, I raised an eyebrow. "Rei? I already know you like boys, so you don't have to come out to me again. I'm cool with-"

"It's not that." Rei bit his lip, and I found myself hanging to his words, wondering what on earth he wanted to tell me. My heart beat faster in anticipation.

I waited, watching his face as the soft glow of the sun illuminated his features, seeming to embrace his body. At that moment, with a mysteriously calm smile, Rei was beautifully ethereal.

"So, what is it?" Hope blossomed in my stomach, clinging to my every nerve and ever vein and every artery.

"I-" Rei shook his head. "Nevermind. See you tomorrow at school, Kai!"

With that, Rei ran off towards his apartment while I stood watching him, watching him run away from me again.

And I didn't realize until then that I was so very, very alone.

xxx

I arrived home to an empty apartment. Bryan, I assumed, was out 'catching up' with Tala. The thought itself left me entirely disgusted, and I quickly entered my room to do that night's homework.

It was then that I saw my calendar – tomorrow was the school's Valentine Day's dance. At first, the idea itself, to me, was extremely prepubescent (I remembered saying something about only 12-year-old girls and boys went to dances). However, I had heard from somewhere that Rei was going.

With a sigh, I pulled out a textbook and began my work.

Hours later, when the hour hand was just barely teasing midnight, the door slammed open and shut, announcing the arrival of His Highness Bryan. Hearing a body crash to the floor, I reluctantly abandoned my doodling of Rei to check up on the idiot.

And there was Bryan, belt undone and hair disheveled. I raised an eyebrow in question – though, to be honest, it was obvious enough what had happened, and I was about to storm over to Tala's home and beat the shit out of him for cheating on Rei.

"My ass hurts," Bryan mumbled as he slowly got to his knees and then his feet. He swayed a bit before finally collapsing on the couch, a groan escaping his lips. "Tala's a beast."

Rolling my eyes, I returned to my room, seething. I knew that that speech Tala gave me was all bullshit. I sighed, returning to my work in order to keep myself from sprinting to Tala's apartment at that very moment.

_Well, if Rei was going, then, I guess-_

xxx

Two more chapters and perhaps an epilogue then this is all over. I'm so excited, aren't you?

Oh, and for all you Tala x Bryan (also known as Yuriy x Boris) fans, the YuBo WAVE!2 is coming up on February 27! Please, if you can, write some marvelous things for that event. For more information, PM either me or Ladyfiction!

Thank you, lovelies!


	15. Ten

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything concerning Bakuten Shoot Beyblade.

**Complaints: **When I first began writing this fic, I was but fourteen and a wholly retarded writer. At the time, it didn't occur to me that Japan may not have high-school dances. It didn't even occur to me that Japan didn't have the traditional American high-school system.

It's highly improbable that anybody else remotely cares, but I feel I must apologize x.x

(I don't even have dances during high-school other than the Halloween dance, homecoming and prom – what on earth was my little brain thinking?)

xxx

Friday, February 13

xxx

If the squeals of girls, the smirks of boys, and the rabid gossip ravaging the school hallways wasn't disgusting enough, the dance committee simply _had_ to go the extra fucking mile and decorate the entire building with Valentine's Day paraphernalia. The more lenient teachers allowed students to bring in food, and, to be honest, I've had my last pink-frostinged cupcake and my last I-made-this-just-for-you batch of cookies.

On the verge of spewing vomit on the nearest girl who asked me if I was going to the dance because it would be 'so much damn fun,' I sprinted out of school as soon as the last bell rang, desperate to get home and hopefully hear Bryan's cynical, hateful view on Valentine's Day in order to remedy the constant red hearts I saw flashing in my eyes and the continuous chocolate taste in my mouth.

Fortunately, when I thrust the door open in a fit of dramatics, there lay Bryan on my couch, eating my food and watching my television and talking on my telephone and looking as disgruntled and uninterested as ever.

"Hey," he said, turning his attention to me. "Did you know that your milk expired three months ago?"

"No," I replied, throwing my shit onto the floor and stomping towards my room. It was around four in the afternoon, giving me two hours before the dance started.

Flopping onto my bed, I suddenly realized that, _fuck_, maybe sleeping at three in the morning hadn't been such a good idea (I poignantly ignored the fact that I was getting very little sleep after having chided Rei about it for so long). My eyes fluttered shut, but I began to clench and unclench my toes in hopes that concentrating on such a task would keep me awake.

At that moment, Bryan walked into the room, arms crossed and looking mildly intrigued at my toe movements. "Tala told me about a dance tonight. You going?"

I mumbled something along the lines of 'I guess,' a little embarrassed to be admitting that I was going to some loser high-school dance that I'd been ridiculing for the past four years of my life.

"Oh." He sounded a bit surprised but quickly abandoned the topic for something more interesting. "Well, I'm going to Tala's now. Have fun."

I grunted, basking in the soothing, calming scent of my covers and the softness of my mattress.

The creak of the door opening and shutting vaguely registered in my head, and the last thing I remembered thinking was that, damn, I had to get up soon and prepare for the dance.

xxx

When I woke up (quite abruptly, I might add, for I was dreaming that some random girl that didn't exist was trying to force herself on me in the middle of the school hallway), the white moon shone full in the black night sky, and I wondered how strange it was that it was already-

I looked at the clock.

The red digital numbers seemed to laugh mockingly at me as it read 11:07. Considering the time for a moment (as it did not immediately register in my head), I eventually came to a single, strangely disappointing conclusion: I had missed the dance.

Though not terribly upset to the point of bawling like a little girl, I would have liked to have seen Rei. And spent time with Rei. And talked with Rei. And just _be _with Rei. It would have been nice.

I was a little more than pissed off, actually. It was like my every attempt at hanging out with Rei was being taken – no, _pilfered_ – by some fucking deity that was sitting on its ass in its embellished throne somewhere way above my miserable self.

At 11:11 (I chuckled a little) my cell phone rang a catchy tune that I chose with the greatest care and attention. Quickly opening the fold, I greeted the caller with a raspy, I-just-woke-up hello.

"Hey, Kai!" an energetic voice responded on the other line.

Unfortunately, that voice was something ingrained within my memory, and I immediately recognized it as Tyson. I didn't know whether to be irritated at him for calling me, confused as to how he got my number, or amused at his general idiocy. "What do you want?" I responded, keeping the characteristic icy bitchery in my tone.

"Oh, wow, Kai! You missed so much!" Tyson exclaimed, having perfected the art of ignoring my sour attitude. "There-there was music and-and dancing and – oh my _god_ Hiromi and Max looked so _hot! _– and the _food_, Kai. The _food_!"

I scrunched my nose in both frustration and confusion. What the hell was this stupid idiot talking about? "Last time I checked, Tyson, I didn't care."

"Oh?" The Japanese boy sounded devious, as if he knew more than he let on. "Well, would you care if I said that Rei looked absolutely _dashing_ and that I got to grope him a couple of times while we danced?"

Though I knew that he was lying about the groping part (Rei would _never_ allow Tyson to get away with such an act multiple times), I felt a flare of jealousy scaling up my throat and fattening itself into an ugly mass of _shit_. I coughed, hoping it would calm my temper and prevent me from cussing out that stupid mother-fucker who dared even insinuate that he defiled Rei. "I'm sure Tala will be pleased to know that you felt up Rei. Anything else you'd like to tell me about the damn dance before I move on with life?"

An alien silence dominated the line, and I was shocked at how much more powerful Tyson seemed when his fat-ass mouth wasn't flapping.

"Kai," he growled, "I didn't think you were this much of an idiot."

That comment hit a nerve. _Nobody_ dared call me – ME, Kai Hiwatari – an idiot under any circumstances whatsoever. I growled as well, my hand clenching my phone in pure annoyance. "What?!"

"You're too fucking blind to see when something good comes along your way, and you do nothing but sit on your ass and let it go. You're stupid, Kai. A damn fool."

And before I could get a word in otherwise, before I could defend myself, before I could even _understand_ what the hell he meant, Tyson hung up, and I was left with the dial tone to give me the answers I didn't have.

Pissed beyond belief, I pulled myself out of bed and into the kitchen. Bryan apparently had not returned from his rendezvous with Tala, and though the thought disgusted me, I was glad that I had the apartment to myself for once. The silence of loneliness allowed me to mull over Tyson's words, picking them apart and attempting to uncover their meaning.

But as always, the meaning fluttered just a hair's length away from my understanding, making damned sure that I stayed the confused little shit I was.

And all the while, that fucking deity sat on its fucking throne whilst laughing its fucking fat ass off at my misfortune.

xxx

I sat on my bed for the longest time, just sitting and staring, staring and sitting. I couldn't get Tyson's words out of my head, and it was driving me near insanity.

Bryan had come in a while ago, I wasn't sure of the time. I wasn't even sure of the time now. It seemed too troublesome to turn my head a simple forty-five degrees to look at my clock, as if doing so would break my train of though.

'_Something good_.'

Tyson insinuated that I was missing something spectacular, something life-changing, something that I basically needed in order to be happy and to live. 'Something good' translated into 'something that you can't live without,' 'something that you'd piss your pants with joy to know you have but you don't.'

And maybe he was right. Maybe I was a fool. Maybe I was so stupid and so idiotic that I couldn't even fucking realize the 'something good's in my life.

The door swung open.

"I saw Rei earlier," Bryan said almost with a particular purpose, "he told me to tell you that he said 'hi.'"

And as quickly and quietly as he came, he left, his words mixing in with Tyson's to create the biggest fucking headache I have ever known – that _mankind_ has ever known.

By the time I drifted off to sleep, sprawled on my side in my school uniform and thinking about those damned red hearts and those damned words, I still remained a stupid, idiot, damn fool.

xxx

_Rei was dressed in a form-fitting, black tuxedo. The two of us were standing in a large ballroom of sorts, the kind everyone sees on the television and wishes he or she could be in. A Cinderella sort of thing. Fairy tales._

_Looking down, I, too, was dressed in a tuxedo. Assuming that, being in a ballroom, that I was to ask Rei for a dance, I extended my hand towards the Chinese boy, smiling politely._

_However, instead of grabbing my hand like a gentleman would, Rei was immediately jerked upwards, as if some puppeteer were pulling him on string. There, Rei hung – no, _floated _– as if he were some sort of fairy tale angel._

_But that wasn't what surprised me. What grabbed my attention were his marigold eyes that begged me to do something. Those marigold eyes that wanted to tell me a secret, the answer to my question, the identity of the 'something good' in my life._

xxx

**Note: **Mmhmm. I've been reading a lot of Axel x Roxas from Kingdom Hearts lately. And because a lot of authors portray Axel as having a potty-mouth worse than a sailor, a bit of that aspect has rubbed off on my writing, thus the influx on profanity and vulgarity.

I apologize for taking such a horrendous amount of time to update. But now that school is over and I'm transitioning from high school to university, I'm hoping that I have a bit of free time here and there.

We're almost at the end, everyone, so just hold on tight.


	16. Absolute

**Disclaimer: **Beyblade is the sole property of Aoki Takao.

**Notes: **So this is the end of four years. It's a little nostalgic, but I'm damn happy to be able to start some other (better, less crappy) multi-chapters.

This fic taught me a lot of things. Plan before you write, and write before you post. Dub names suck. Random Japanese Insertions suck. Make sense.

I love and thank you guys who have stuck with me. Thank you for your four years :

xxx

Saint Valentine's Day

xxx

I woke up with a headache.

Thankfully, the apartment was empty (I assumed Bryan had left once again to his _boytoy_, and the silence attempted to sooth my woes. Obviously, I knew what day it was. And just as obviously, I didn't give a damn.

I didn't have breakfast. I didn't have lunch. It was one in the fucking afternoon – I had somehow slept in, and I growled as I realized Bryan must have turned off my alarm to be _funny_ – and I was content with sitting on my ass on my cough in my living room doing absolutely nothing else.

Anyone else would call it sulking. I called it serious contemplation.

_Fuck_ everyone else.

I wondered briefly if the others would stop by to wish me a happy Valentine's Day. Just because I didn't want them to didn't mean they wouldn't do it. Tyson, perhaps, or maybe even Max – I kind of hoped Rei would see me.

I wasn't good at this sort of thing – never _have been_ good at this sort of thing, these _emotions_. Or, perhaps more accurately, _admitting _them. My heartbeat didn't change any around Rei, I didn't get those goddamn butterflies in my stomach, that frog in my throat. The usual symptoms of attraction simply didn't apply to me.

I liked Rei, yes. I've always liked Rei. We were friends, and did not friendship require some sort of 'like?' I encouraged him as his captain; I encouraged him as his friend. I risked Dranzer for Driger. I made sure he never tried to get himself hurt for the sake of others (as he so often did).

That was _friendship_.

I knew what that was all about, after all. You weren't friends with Takao and not know what friendship was.

And my own _mother_ wasn't shy on telling me about the greater things in life, about that _love shit_ which she apparently experiences every time my father is actually home.

This feeling I got around Rei was nothing like that, either.

And-

I laughed. Falling over across the loveseat, I laughed and laughed and laughed until I could barely breathe and thought of something awful (Tala and Bryan _doing it_) to make myself stop.

Staring up at the ceiling, I devised a plan. This could be attraction, and this could not be attraction. But whatever it was, I would act on it. A Hiwatari did not back down from a challenge, and that stupid white ceiling was _definitely_ challenging me.

It said, "Come on, Kai, you stupid piece of _shit._ Just because you couldn't win the Beyblade championships against Tyson doesn't mean you can't win Rei."

I would get a new shirt.

"What have you really got to lose, Kai?"

I would get some breath mints.

"Don't you want something good in your life?"

xxx

There were heart-shaped boxes that said "I love you" and cards that said even more. I walked past all of that, picking up a small box of mints and a girl's magazine that would tell me how to _'get him to notice you._' The cashier looked down at the magazine strangely.

Perhaps he was stunned by my impeccable logic.

Everything was _red_ and _pink_ today. So, I decided to purchase a purple shirt in spite. It was a nice shirt, really. Long-sleeved with a v-neck collar – wasn't that in style now? I was positive it would do what I wanted it to do: make me look _better_ than usual.

I sighed, walking out of the franchise and onto the busy, crowded sidewalk. Couples lost in their own shiny, warm-and-fuzzy world shoved past, girls leaning against boys and boys caressing waists. Singles seemed to amass in large groups.

The radiating love and camaraderie taunted me in the same fashion as my ceiling. I felt a little stupid – something Tyson must feel very often – and a little regretful and a little bit of everything bad and negative. Unable to be soothed, remedied.

A burning self-loathing at missing the obvious.

I wanted to blame it on the little box of mints, on Tala, on my parents, on my grandfather. I wanted to blame my stupidity on everything possible. The fault belonged to me, I knew. It was mine to parade and wear proudly and in shame – the trophy that I'd been vying to receive in my younger years.

This crushing feeling stayed with me until I returned to my place. Thick, black clouds smothered the skies, shielding the last rays of sunshine, plunging me into pitch-black smog, causing me to bump into a table of sorts. Some shoes. Failure.

I only hoped that my master plan would work out perfectly, flawlessly.

The magazine fluttered to the ground where it would stay until I needed some form of concrete, reliable advice. Pulling on my new shirt, spraying on the cologne my mother picked out for me, and popping in a mint, I _prayed_ to those damn deities.

I prayed that everything would work out well, fine, okay.

The sadness in Rei's eyes – I wanted to be the reason why they went away.

I've been stupid, I've been blind.

I was still stupid. I was still blind.

But _fuck_ if I was going to let that stop me. No _higher power_ was going to stop me.

These feelings, these foreign, what-the-fuck feelings – I would do something. Proactive, determination – I would be the things my grandfather always taught me were beneficial for maintaining a business.

You want something? _Work for it_.

You need something? _Work off your ass until you drop dead and then work your ass off some more, damn it. I will not have some pussy boy as a grandson._

Taunting, taunting.

As I walked towards Rei's apartment – I wondered if his parents were home? – I felt nervous, a little afraid. But I'd make sure he was all right.

Do something about those non-existent butterflies; get rid of this blush on my cheeks.

xxx

The onslaught of rain came suddenly and without warning. I neglected to bring an umbrella, smart as I was. The storm stained my shirt black and attempted to force me into the earth, dragging down my clothes and swallowing me up in puddles.

Thunder growled menacingly in the distance, flashes of light illuminating inky clouds.

Fortunately, it was a long walk to Rei's apartment. Fortunately, a particularly large flash of lightning brought forth gifts of darkness and roaring thunder. I shook from the cold.

I was the only fool on the streets without an umbrella. Cars sped past me, and I could only imagine the looks on the passengers' faces as they watched this wet, miserable boy in the cold, cold rain. _What a moron_, they'd say, _what a sad, pathetic moron._

When I reached Rei's apartment complex, the dark structure loomed high above me, as if threatening me to return from whence I came. Orbs of light pressed against dark windows, luring me into the building's depths, coercing me to climb those steps and trek higher, higher.

When at last I reached Rei's door, the city seemed to brighten.

Hope?

I knocked before glancing at my watch.

Ah, it appears Valentine's Day is almost over.

After a faint 'coming!' from inside, the door swung open somewhat shyly. Almost at eye-level, Rei stared in shock. He opened the door wide, stepping back and gesturing me inside.

It was warm in his apartment. And it smelled so clean.

"Hey, Kai," he said as he shut the door, somewhat confused. "You need something?"

I popped another mint in my mouth like a drug addict, smoothing out my drenched shirt and hair like some Casanova. It was time.

"I was just wondering, Rei," I began, turning to face him, composing myself in a very serious manner. "If . . . perhaps you had some spare clothing I could change into."

He laughed (at me?). "Of course. Follow me."

Upon entering his bedroom, he pulled open a drawer and tossed a change of clothes at me (he couldn't hand it to me personally?). He then ushered me into the bathroom, a light smile on his lips.

Of course, changing wasn't my first priority. But, of course, I needed time to dissolve the mint. Nothing would work if the mint was still floating around in my mouth. It would result in chaos, awkwardness.

I quickly changed, feeling much better about my current dry condition but feeling rather disheartened about my newly purchased and newly dampened shirt. My confidence faltered slightly, but at least I still had the mints. The master plan was still on.

Rei was sitting in an armchair, appearing to read a book of sorts. I took my place on the armrest, looking over his shoulder, faintly sniffing his shampoo. It smelled like, well, nothing.

"Kai, are you smelling my hair?"

Looking down, I was met with an incredulous look. I nodded. "Yes, Rei, I was."

"Oh."

An awkward silence followed in which Rei stared at the cover of his book, and I stared at the top of his head, swirling the mint in my mouth until I was sure it was gone. I breathed in deeply to build resolve – motivation.

I lifted Rei's chin so that he would look up at me again. Before he could say or do anything – tell me to fuck off or push me away – and kissed his nose. How enchanted he must be in this extremely romantic moment. _And_ my breath smells fresh. I liked to be prepared for these things.

Rei looked utterly, utterly confused.

"Um . . .?"

"I was kissing you," I said. Perhaps Rei didn't understand such a concept. It was a very good thing that he had me, his ex-captain, to clarify such things for him.

"You're kissing me?"

"No, I _was_ kissing you."

"Why would you do that?"

I snorted, attempting to ignore this dull pressure of nervousness. "Because you have a pretty nose. That's why – why do you _think_ I did that?"

"Shut up," Rei said as he shoved me off the armchair.

Fortunately, I was able to catch myself, managing only to stumble to a standing position. I glared, and the other laughed in amusement. He then smiled a calming, warm smile. This was one of the benefits of life, surely.

"Your idea of romance is, ah, _unique,_ Kai." Rei rested his chin on his palm, supported by the armrest as he regarded me with those exotic eyes. Though slightly offended, I smiled in return. "But thanks for the thought."

"Would you have preferred a nice dinner and flowers?"

"I'm not a woman, Kai. You need not do that." He stood and made his way towards the kitchen, and I followed in response, walking a bit faster in order to be the one leading instead. "But would you like some tea?"

I shrugged. Tea was okay, but alcohol was _better_. Deciding just then to be couple-like – though still not quite sure if Rei had accepted my rather discreet confession – I wrapped my arms around him as he prepared tea in a traditionally Japanese teapot.

This was slightly _awkward_, to say the least.

We sat at the table. He sipped gracefully (somehow), and I stared disdainfully (somehow).

"Now, Kai, tell me," he began, weaving through the silence with his voice. He wasn't looking at me. "What is all this about?"

"You and I both know what this is all about, Rei," I replied. I knew it. He knew it. Or at least I hoped he did. "I am attracted to you . . . as a person."

Surprisingly, a flash of anger brightening momentarily in Rei's eyes, the helium flash after a long, arduous process of fusing the hydrogen that was his patience. It was bright, it was sharp - it deflated in a second. "What would you know, Kai?"

"I don't know. Isn't experience what relationships are supposed to build?" Out of courtesy, I took a sip of the herbal tea.

Rei finished his tea and stared at me. His eyes were blank, almost dead. Then, he laughed. Laughed and laughed and laughed until he managed to control his giggles.

"You'll never change, Kai," he said softly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" My pride twitched in offense. Had that been a bad kiss? Improper? Insulting to his backwards culture, perhaps (I silently cursed Baifuzu)?

"It means that-" I cut him off, determined to give him a _real_ kiss. I added tongue to flair. He simply _must_ be impressed, now. I reserved these suave moves for the sole purpose of wooing him.

When I sat back in my chair, back rigid not from nervousness but from innate posture (_lies_), I coughed. Rei was silent. I stared ahead.

Suddenly, unprepared as I was, a brilliant smile formed on his lips. Unable to stop myself, I smiled as well – when it was just the two of us, here like this, I could do these things so easily, without thought.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kai."

"I think I love you, Rei."

xxx

**Notes**: Thank you readers once again! I truly appreciate you guys, and I hope to produce better works in the future. This fic was one of my earliest, and it will always have that appeal.

Kai x Rei forever, my loves!


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